Claire Buchan, chief of staff at the Commerce Department under former President George W. Bush, has joined Constellation Energy in the newly created position of vice president for public strategy.

She will report to James Connaughton, who was the former chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality for Bush. Connaughton is Constellation's executive vice president of corporate affairs, public and environmental policy.

Before the Commerce department, Buchan was White House deputy press secretary and she served as deputy assistant secretary at the Treasury department under former President George H.W. Bush.

Constellation Energy spent $1.37 million on lobbying for the first half of 2009 and $2.96 million for all of 2008, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

(Photo courtesy of Commerce department)