A familiar face will be missing from DC tech networking circles. Cooley's former biz dev guru and MindShare's executive director Katherine Ferguson is now leading marketing and communications at Mobile, Ala.-based Callis Communications. (She moved there but is keeping her DC residence.)Katherine, who started this week, is also the company's chief culture officer. She'll be helping the $12 million cloud communications service provider maintain its entrepreneurial vibe as it doubles in size over the next two years.

Katherine says she'll stay connected to the DC tech scene as a frequent visitor and an honorary MindShare alum. She's one of several new execs the 50-person company has hired in the last year, including product management VP Kevin Demery who came from GE in February. CEO Dean Parker launched the company in 1999 and says the Alabama tech scene has transformed the region with Airbus moving its engineering and manufacturing operations to Mobile and the University of South Alabama establishing a tech and research park.