Amanda Carpenter has been hired as senior communications adviser and speechwriter for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Carpenter was speechwriter and senior communications adviser to Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. She also has worked as a columnist, reporter and blogger for The Washington Times. She served as a national political reporter for Townhall.com and Townhall magazine. She was an election blogger at Glamour magazine.

Steve Bartlett has been hired as a strategic policy adviser at Levick, a crisis and public affairs agency. He was the president of the Financial Services Roundtable. He served in the House, and was also mayor of Dallas. Bartlett also has served as the president and founder of Meridian Products Corp., a plastics manufacturer. He also has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson school of public affairs.

Amy Friend has been hired as the top lawyer for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. She was chief counsel for the Democratic staff for the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. She previously served as assistant chief counsel at the OCC. She also has worked as minority general counsel for the House Banking Committee, now the Financial Services Committee. She was general counsel to the House Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs and Coinage.

Joseph (Joe) C. Harris, Jr. has been hired as vice president at government and public affairs firm Artemis Strategies. He was counsel to former Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, I-Conn. He also worked as a legislative assistant and legislative counsel to former Rep. John M. Spratt Jr., D-S.C.

John Warren has been hired as a senior director of health policy for the health industry advisory practice group at McDermott Willy & Emery. Warren was a senior technical adviser to the hospital and ambulatory policy group at the Center for Medicare, a part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Bill Burton has been hired at public affairs firm Global Strategy Group as executive vice president and managing director of the Washington office. Burton was a co-founder and senior strategist at Democratic super PAC Priorities USA Action. He has served in the White House as deputy press secretary and special assistant to the president. He also has worked as a national press secretary for President Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.

Donna Harman has been named chairwoman of the National Association of Manufacturers’ Council of Manufacturing Associations. Harman is the president and CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association, a trade group. She is secretary-treasurer of the Forest Products Industry National Labor Management Committee. She also is a member of the corporate advisory council to the International Congressional Conservation Foundation.

Karl Kalbacher has been hired as director of grant services at The Ferguson Group, a lobbying firm. Kalbacher was director of economic redevelopment for New Castle County in Delaware. He has served as an environmental program administrator at the Maryland Environment Department. He also has served as a member of the Newark city council in Delaware.

Nicole Baker has been promoted to partner at law and lobbying firm K&L Gates. Baker was an associate in the securities enforcement practice group.

Shanda Hastings has also been promoted to partner at K&L Gates. Hastings was an associate in the government enforcement practice group.