Hal Brands, a Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies professor and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, was appointed to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the commission announced Jan. 7. The term ends Dec. 31, 2026. Brands was chosen by former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

Brian Nichols, the State Department’s assistant secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs since 2021, is retiring from the government, the agency announced Dec. 31. Nichols had worked on various sanctions policy issues during his time with the agency, including around Venezuela (see 2312060052), and had vowed during his 2021 confirmation hearing to aggressively sanction human rights violators (see 2105190038).

Nathan Swinton is leaving DOJ to become the Bureau of Industry and Security's new chief counsel, he announced on LinkedIn. He was DOJ's senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for national security.

Allison Aprahamian has been named the Republican press secretary for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She was previously the GOP communications director for the House Select Committee on China.

Paul Rosen, who has served as the Treasury Department’s lead official for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. since being confirmed by the Senate in 2022 (see 2205250017), left the agency earlier this month, he announced on LinkedIn.

Federal Maritime Commissioner Carl Bentzel is leaving the FMC to become president of the National Association of Waterfront Employers and executive director of the National Maritime Safety Association, he said in a Dec. 13 statement. “I am looking forward to this exciting opportunity to continue to work within the maritime industry and to contribute to the growth of the terminal operating industry,” he said.

President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate Jacob Helberg, a commissioner with the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission, to be the State Department’s next undersecretary for economic growth, energy and the environment. Helberg will “guide State Department policy on Economic statecraft, promoting America's Economic security and growth, and American technological dominance abroad,” Trump said in a Dec. 10 post on Truth Social.

Daniel Munzert, a former enforcement official with the Office of Foreign Assets Control, has joined Citibank as its senior vice president of sanctions regulatory compliance, he announced last week on LinkedIn. Munzert joined OFAC in 2021 and left for Citibank in November.

Pete Jeydel, a former lawyer with Steptoe, has joined Troutman Pepper as a partner to lead the sanctions and trade controls practice, the firm announced. Jeydel's practice centers on export controls and sanctions and "related areas" such as the new outbound investment security program, the firm said.

Jeremy Paner, a former sanctions investigator for the Office of Foreign Assets Control, has joined Hughes Hubbard as a partner in its sanctions, export controls and anti-money laundering practice, the firm announced. Paner worked at OFAC from 2007 to 2013 and was most recently with Squire Patton.