The American Israel Public Affairs Committee appointed public affairs professional Arne Christenson as its managing director for policy and politics.

Christenson, who worked at AIPAC as chief lobbyist in 1993-95, moves into a position that was newly created by the organization.

During a stint as senior vice president for regulatory policy at Fannie Mae, Christenson worked closely with Tom Donilon, who is now President Obama's national security advisor. He also previously served as chief of staff to then-Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich. 

For the past decade, he has worked as the senior vice president for government affairs and head of the Washington office of American Express.