A promotion, a new firm, a new gig, and a half-dozen awards...

James Huffines is the new chairman of the University of Texas System's board of regents. His colleagues elected him to replace Scott Caven Jr. of Houston; this is the second time since he came on the board in 2003 that he'll serve as chair.

Victor Alcorta now has a door with his own name on it. Alcorta — former policy director for Gov. Rick Perry and general counsel in the Secretary of State's office — has been at Thompson and Knight for seven years. The new shop is called the Alcorta Law Firm.

Former Public Utility Commissioner Karl Rabago has landed at Austin Energy — the city-owned electric utility in the capital. His portfolio includes "energy efficiency, climate, green buildings, key accounts, market research, and advanced vehicle initiatives."

The Fort Worth-based Eppstein Group won six "Silver Pollies" for political advertising and design, from the American Association of Political Consultants. That's that industry's version of the Oscars. The company (which entered under that name but has since reformed into four separate divisions) won for work for the Tarrant Regional Water District, the Texas Farm Bureau, Dallas Water Utilities, and for a wet-dry election in Mesquite. They also got three honorable mentions.

Sutton and Sanders

U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton is leaving that post to pursue a job he hasn't named in the private sector. He was George W. Bush's criminal justice wiz in the Guv's office, then worked for Bush in Washington before winning the prosecution appointment here in Texas. Sutton was pilloried by conservatives for prosecuting a couple of rogue Border Patrol agents who shot a suspect and tried to hide the evidence and cover up the incident. In another case, Sutton helped send former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales to prison for a variety of financial crimes.

Mark Sanders is back on Carole Keeton Strayhorn's payroll, this time for the last month of her campaign for mayor of Austin. She's been mayor before — from 1977 to 1983 — and now that she's been a state insurance commissioner, railroad commissioner, comptroller, and (third-place) candidate for governor, she's making another run at the muni level. Sanders, a political consultant for nearly 20 years, was her primary political advisor for the last few years, hadn't been involved in the mayoral race until now.