Comings and goings

Anthony Principi, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs during President Bush's first term, has joined Pfizer, the pharmaceutical giant, as vice president of government relations in the company's Washington, D.C., office. Bush has also named him to lead the nine-member base-closing commission currently looking at realigning up to a fourth of the nation's 450 major military installations.

Steven Cohen, senior adviser to the director of the Office of Personnel Management, retired this month after 42 years in government.

Norm Lorentz, former chief technology officer at the Office of Management and Budget, is the new senior managing director of Federal Solutions Group, a firm that markets technology companies to the federal and state information technology markets.

Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary of the Homeland Security Department's Border and Transportation Security Directorate until resigning March 1, said he will seek the Arkansas governor's office in 2006. In the meantime, Hutchinson, a former three-term congressman from that state, joined Washington-based Venable to head the law firm's homeland security practice. He will also serve on the board of Saflink, a Bellevue, Wash., biometric and smart card company.

Patrick Hughes, acting assistant secretary for information analysis at the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate, is joining L-3 Communications as vice president of homeland security. The New York City-based company provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, communications systems, aircraft modernization and other services.

Jack Johnson, former chief security officer at DHS, joined PricewaterhouseCoopers as a managing director of its Washington, D.C., federal practice.