GameDaily BIZ can today reveal that the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has named Michael D. Gallagher its new president, replacing Doug Lowenstein who stepped down after 12-plus years. Gallagher, who was a former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications & Information, serving as the chief telecommunications and policy advisor to the Bush Administration, will officially start with the ESA later this month. He is currently the Communications Practice chair at Perkins Coie, a leading international law firm.

"It is a privilege to represent the dynamic entertainment software industry," said Gallagher. "With over two-thirds of American heads of households playing video games, and the tremendous opportunities available to the industry on every device -- from consoles and PCs to handhelds and broadband enabled cell phones -- the business is poised for tremendous growth. I look forward to working with federal and state leaders to foster an environment where the industry and its consumers can thrive."

Although Gallagher does not have a video game industry background, during a conference call he talked about how he's been a lifelong gamer, still plays games by himself and with his kids, and he's enjoyed watching the game industry grow over the years. Gallagher also has a strong background in technology in general. During his over four-year tenure at the Department of Commerce, he led successful efforts to pave the way for a number of new technologies and services, such as ultrawideband, broadband over powerlines, advanced wireless services, and millimeter wavelength networks. He also developed and successfully advocated the U.S. Government's policies on international Internet governance. And in the past, Gallagher worked for Verizon Wireless in Bellevue, Washington as the Staff Vice-President State Public Policy.

"Mike's outstanding technology, policy, and government relations experience makes him a strong fit for the ESA, where issues like intellectual property, self-regulation, and industry social and economic contributions are at the forefront of the agenda," said Robbie Bach, chair of the ESA Board of Directors and president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division.

"Mike Gallagher is an experienced Washington hand � he understands the intersection of technology and policy and we look forward to working with him and the ESA to pursue our shared goals of keeping kids safe, empowering and educating parents, and protecting the First Amendment," added Jerry Berman, president of the Center for Democracy and Technology.

During the conference call, Bach explained the process the ESA went through in making the decision to hire Gallagher. "We wanted to make sure we did a very broad search, and so we looked at people from within the industry, from within government, from both sides of the political aisle, so to speak, and people with a variety of both public and private backgrounds, in an effort to really evaluate all the possible combinations and see what would fit best with the things we wanted to do," he said. "We used a search agency to help us with the process... [but] the executive board of the committee was involved directly in doing interviews and in terms of driving and managing the process."