In a first for the Senate, Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Pickle has created the post of chief information officer. J. Greg Hanson, who holds a Ph.D. in computer science and has 25 years of experience in technology in both the private and public sectors, will fill the position as assistant Sergeant-at-Arms. [IMGCAP(1)]

Hanson has been the chief technology officer for Universal Systems and Technology, Telos Corp. and a startup software company.

He also has served as chief software engineer for the Air Force, chief scientist for a NATO multinational headquarters, and CIO for an under secretary of Defense.

“Cutting-edge technology is essential to facilitating the Senate’s work with constituents, colleagues, and staff,” Pickle said in a statement. “Greg’s expertise in enterprise systems and advanced technology will enable the Senate to take advantage of innovations and changes in technology.”

Lackey Leaves. Sen. Olympia Snowe’s (R-Maine) longtime communications director, Dave Lackey, will depart at the end of the month to become director of public policy at Fidelity Investments in Boston.

Lackey first joined the Snowe team as communications director during her 1994 Senate bid. The Cumberland, Maine, native earlier served as communications director and speechwriter for the Senator’s husband, then-Gov. John McKernan Jr. (R-Maine).

He will be replaced by Elizabeth Wenk, who serves as Snowe’s press secretary. An alumna of Rep. Mike Castle’s (R-Del.) press shop, Wenk hails from Exton, Pa. She earned a bachelor’s from the University of Delaware and is pursuing a master’s in political management from the George Washington University.

— Suzanne Nelson and Bree Hocking