WASHINGTON — Venable Attorney Gwen Baker left the firm Feb. 9 to pursue other interests–namely marriage and the Florida beaches.

Baker left NAFCU as director of regulatory affairs a little more than a year ago to join to Venable as part of their credit union practice. "My time at Venable, while short, has been extremely rewarding. It has been an incredible opportunity to work with Bill Donovan, Bruce Jolly, Ron Glancz and the other attorneys at Venable and to help build its already outstanding credit union practice. I'm very grateful that I had the chance to work at Venable and have gained tremendous experience that will assist me throughout my career."

Baker said she has a job she is pursuing in Florida, but it was not definite yet. One thing she definitely plans on doing is marrying securities litigator Bob Stokes of Tampa. In the credit union community's tight knit way, Baker's replacement at Venable is Suzanne Garwood–the attorney Baker had succeeded at NAFCU. Garwood has practiced with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP since 2000, focusing on bank and financial regulatory compliance.