Jim Dyer, a K Street veteran who specializes in defense and appropriations issues, will join the Podesta Group as a senior strategist, the firm announced on Thursday.

“No one in Washington understands this process more than Jim,” Podesta Group CEO Kimberley Fritts said in a statement. “His tight grasp on the intersection of politics and policy makes him an invaluable asset to every one of our clients.”

Dyer currently runs the appropriations practice at Clark & Weinstock, where he represents Alcoa, General Electric and Sallie Mae, among others. He will join the Podesta team on Aug. 8.

He came to the world of lobbying after more than a decade on Capitol Hill, serving as the staff director and clerk of the House Appropriations Committee, where he oversaw the activities of a 125-person staff and was responsible for 13 annual appropriations bills.

Prior to that, Dyer served as the Capitol Hill liaison for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush as the deputy assistant to the president for legislative affairs.

For Bush, he was the principal point of contact with the Senate. For Reagan, he oversaw the defense, foreign policy and appropriations portfolios.