State House personnel update

BOSTON (State House News Service) - S.J. PORT has joined the Department of Conservation and Recreation as press secretary, replacing WENDY FOX. Port previously worked as director of policy and communications at the state Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services. The University of Massachusetts graduate also previously worked as a special assistant in the governor’s office.

EMILY WOOD, formerly at MassINC, has joined the National Fund for Workforce Solutions as communications manager. The group is a foundation-sponsored public-private initiative that promotes the advancement of low-wage workers and job seekers through skills development, according to Wood. Its “implementation partner” is Jobs for the Future.

MARCIE RIDGWAY KINZEL has joined Sen. Scott Brown’s office as his communications director, replacing GAIL GITCHO, who left Brown to work as communications director for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. Kinzel previously worked communications for U.S. Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) and as chief of staff in the Office of Communications & Outreach for the Department of Education. She has also worked for U.S. Reps. Dave Camp (R-Michigan) and Sam Johnson (R-Texas) and worked most recently as director of eastern media relations for the University of California at Los Angeles. Kinzel will work out of Brown’s Washington D.C. office with press aides Colin Reed and Felix Browne.

ALLISON BAYER was recently named acting chief executive officer of Cambridge Health Alliance, effective July 16 when DENNIS KEEFE leaves to become president and CEO of Care New England, a three-hospital system based in Providence, R.I. Keefe has worked for CHA for 25 years, including nine as CEO. Bayer has worked as CHA’s chief operating officer since 2006 and as executive vice president since 2010. Before joining CHA, she worked as director of health information technology for the consulting organization John Snow Inc., vice president of clinical operations at Boston Medical Center, director of clinical operations at University Hospital, director of ambulatory operations at Lahey Clinic Medical Center, and as an administrative director at Tufts-New England Medical Center.

DAVID CASH, 46, of Newton has been appointed a commissioner of the Commonwealth Utilities Commission, a panel that oversees the state Department of Public Utilities. Cash was named to the post on June 17 by Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan. Cash has left his job as policy undersecretary in the energy and environmental affairs secretariat, where he has worked since 2005. He succeeds former commissioner TIMOTHY WOOLF and will work with DPU Chair Ann Berwick and commissioner Jolette Westbrook. Cash previously worked as a research associate and lecturer at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and taught science in the Amherst public schools.

The Republican National Committee has added RYAN TRONOVITCH as press secretary for the region that includes Massachusetts. Tronovitch joins the RNC from Sen. Rob Portman’s office, where he worked as deputy communications director. He was Midwest region RNC press secretary during the 2010 election cycle and in 2008 served as North Carolina communications director for the McCain-Palin ticket.

TOM BENNER, most recently in charge of communications at the Mass Budget and Policy Center and before that a reporter for the Patriot Ledger, is joining the Cambridge-based street newspaper Spare Change News as its editor in chief. The Homeless Empowerment Project is the parent organization of Spare Change. Benner takes on his new post in July. According to the Homeless Empowerment Project, Benner plans to “engage in locally oriented and investigative journalism” and to maximize the ability of the publication to “hold our leaders accountable for policies and practices that affect our most economically disadvantaged neighbors.” Current editor-in-chief ADAM SENNOTT plans to attend Emerson College this fall to pursue a bachelor’s degree in print and multimedia journalism.

PETER ANTONELLIS has left his post as legislative director for Sen. Michael Moore and joined Rep. John Scibak’s office as chief of staff. Scibak is the House chairman of the Public Service Committee.

FRANCY RONAYNE, former press secretary to Treasurer Tim Cahill, has left Solomon McCown and joined InkHouse, a “boutique communications agency” that works with technology, consumer, health care and financial services organizations.

KATHRYN WEST was sworn in by Gov. Deval Patrick June 15 as the newest member of the Massachusetts Port Authority board. West has worked since 1998 as vice president of real estate and facilities at Partners HealthCare, managing a real estate portfolio of more than 16 million square feet of owned and leased property. She previously worked as associate dean of Harvard Medical School and as director of real estate development at the MBTA. Board members serve without pay. Her term runs through June 2016.

VIC DiGRAVIO, president