Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday that longtime Communications Director Brendan Daly is leaving for the private sector.

Daly, who has worked for Pelosi since she became the Democratic Whip nine years ago, will begin work in the private sector in January. Ogilvy Washington announced Tuesday that Daly will join the public relations agency as executive vice president and national director for public affairs.

“Brendan has been an essential part of my team for nearly a decade, and his leadership, hard work and dedication have been essential to the progress we have made on behalf of the American people,” Pelosi said in a statement.

“Brendan is respected on the Hill among Members and the press as a skilled communicator, a dedicated public servant, and a trusted advisor. I am grateful for his service,” she added.

Before his time in Pelosi’s office, Daly was appointed by President Bill Clinton to top communications posts at the Peace Corps and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. He began his Congressional service by working for Rep. Gerry Studds (D-Mass.), who died in 2006.