David Beckwith, vice president of communications at the National Cable &
Telecommunications Association, has left the trade group in a move that
coincided with the arrival of Rob Stoddard as senior vice president of
communications and public affairs.
Last month, NCTA president Robert Sachs announced that Stoddard would leave
AT&T Broadband as senior vice president of public relations to head the
NCTA's broad public-affairs effort. Stoddard began work at the NCTA
Wednesday.
Sachs tapped Stoddard to head both the communications and public-affairs
divisions, which had been broken into separate units less than two years ago,
with Beckwith heading communications and Jim Ewalt leading public affairs.
After Stoddard's arrival, Beckwith and Ewalt were to report to Stoddard.
Ewalt is remaining at the NCTA.
'Dave concluded his work at NCTA as of the end of the year. He has not
publicly announced his future plans. The NCTA appreciates his service to the
association and the cable industry,' NCTA spokesman Marc O. Smith said.
Beckwith joined the NCTA in February 2000. He replaced Josie Martin, who
resigned from the association in December 1999 to pursue other interests. Martin
followed Victoria (Torie) Clarke, who is the current assistant secretary of
defense for public affairs
Reached for comment about his future plans, Beckwith said he plans to become
a political consultant.
Earlier in his career, Beckwith was a national correspondent for Time
magazine, press secretary for Vice President Dan Quayle and a communications
aide in the early stages of the presidential campaign of then-Texas Gov. George
W. Bush.
The NCTA represents cable operators serving about 90 percent of the nation's
70 million cable subscribers, as well as about 200 cable networks and industry
equipment suppliers.
