Senate Banking to Shake Up Staff; Panel Chief Leaving

WASHINGTON — The Senate Banking Committee is expected to shake up its staff next year, with the current panel chief headed back to the private sector and several other key staffers receiving promotions.

Dwight Fettig, who has served as the panel's staff director since 2011, is expected to leave at yearend to rejoin the lobbying firm Porterfield & Lowenthal (formerly Porterfield, Lowenthal & Fettig), where he lobbied for banks and other industry groups in 2009 and 2010 prior to joining the banking panel. Fettig previously worked for committee Chairman Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., for more than 14 years. Fettig has also served as senior director of government and industry relations at Freddie Mac and as a senior policy and legislative adviser at law firm Arnold & Porter.

He is leaving the committee at the end of the year after fulfilling a two-year commitment he made to Johnson when he was hired, according to a source familiar with the decision.

"For more than 16 years dating all the way back to my years in the House, I was fortunate to have Dwight serve on my staff," said Johnson in a press release.  "I can't thank him enough for his dedicated years of public service, most recently helping me get my chairmanship off to a productive start in the 112th Congress."

In the wake of Fettig's departure, the banking panel is also making several other staff changes.

Charles Yi, who joined the committee as chief counsel and deputy staff director in 2011, has been promoted to staff director and chief counsel. He previously worked at the Treasury Department and on the Banking Committee under Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and on the House Financial Services Committee under then-Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass.

Laura Swanson has been promoted to deputy staff director from policy director, after working on Johnson's staff and the committee since 2005. Colin McGinnis has been appointed policy director on the banking panel after working as a senior advisor and professional staff member on the committee under Johnson and Dodd. Glen Sears, formerly a senior policy advisor, has been promoted to deputy policy director.