New York art impresario Jeffrey Deitch is Los Angeles-bound: He's been named the new director of LA's Museum of Contemporary Art, which makes him "the only art dealer/gallery owner to assume leadership of a major U.S. museum." [LAT, NYT]

Emily Pataki had some trouble passing the bar exam a couple of years ago and she's been working as an unpaid intern at a law firm until recently, but that didn't stop the Bloomberg administration from handing the daughter of New York's former governor a job in his administration. So what's she going to be doing over there? According to the mayor's spokesman, she'll be working on "human trafficking issues." Reassuring! [NYP]

It looks like Andy Madoff may have figured out his next career move. Last week, the Journal reported that Bernie Madoff's youngest son was planning to get into "disaster recovery." Now word has it Andy and his girlfriend Catherine Hooper are behind a disaster management company called Black Umbrella, which "builds practical, efficient disaster plans for individuals, couples and families." Just so you're aware, the types of disasters Black Umbrella claims to be equipped to handle are along the lines of Hurricane Katrina and 9/11. The disaster of waking up to find that someone you'd always trusted stole your life savings? You'll have to look elsewhere for help on that one. [Dealbreaker]

After a 47-year career in city government, Nick Scoppetta has announced that he'll step down as New York City's fire commissioner at the end of the year to take up teaching. [NYDN]

Remember Bill Sonner, the former New York Stock Exchange trader who lost his job last year and has since found work driving a Mister Softee truck on Long Island? He's not the only one who has made that sort of a career transition, it turns out. CNBC reports that one of the guys behind the Schnitzel & Things food cart—which nabbed the "Rookie of the Year" award at this past weekend's illustrious Vendy awards—is a finance industry refugee as well. Before he took to the streets with breaded cutlets of chicken in hand, Oleg Voss worked at a boutique M&A firm in Vienna. Are these two examples enough to make the path from finance to food trucks an official trend? While you ponder that question, you can view a clip from CNBC's segment earlier today below.

You've heard about lots of Wall Street refugees who have lost their jobs and been forced to change careers. But have you heard the one about the former trader at the New York Stock Exchange who now drives a Mister Softee truck on Long Island? Bill Sonner says he's using the skills he learned on Wall Street to his advantage ("He's underpriced the competition and chased other, competing trucks away from his turf," says the Journal reporter). Sonner says his life is a lot less stressful these days. And, hey, it could always be worse: His brother, who also lost his finance job recently, occasionally works as his assistant. [WSJ/Video]

Eliot Spitzer is denying a report in today's New York Post that he's planning to return to politics and run for elected office. But he does have a new job and it's related to politics, so perhaps that accounts for the confusion? As of today, he's an adjunct political science professor at the City College of New York, where he'll be paid $98.43 an hour to teach a three-hour law and public-policy class once a week. [LoHud.com via NYM]

Lose your job recently? In search of a new career? Maybe you should consider becoming a hand model! Provided your hands are "veinless, poreless and flawless," you could follow in Ashly Covington's footsteps and earn up to $1,200 a day to fold a tortilla in half or squeeze a little mousse on to your fingertip. Not that it's a bed of roses, mind you. Covington, whose hand modeling reel is above, says she has to moisturize 20 to 30 times a day and estimates she wears gloves 90 percent of the time. "When it's your livelihood, you've got to think hands first," she says. Nor is it necessarily the most glamorous profession. "It seems people think we all live like supermodels and rockstars," says Kimbra Hickey, who made the hand model hall of fame when she appeared on the cover of the novel Twilight. "But it's really just a regular job." There go all your preconceived notions! [CNN via NYM]

If you recently lost your art or design-related job, the folks at Time Out New York has some extremely useful advice to share with you about transitioning to a new field. Instead of doing something that actually involves a small measure of creativity on your part, how about becoming a "corporate presentation specialist" and taking a job with a bank, so you can spend your days designing PowerPoint presentations for ungrateful investment bankers? Sounds like fun, doesn't it? (And pay no mind to the fact that many banks now outsource this task to people in India who make $2 an hour.)

It seems lots of laid-off bankers are interested in dressing up as clowns and entertaining small children at their birthday parties. At least that's what Gary Pincus, the owner of a company called Send In the Clowns Entertainment, tells the Times: "We get a lot of calls from Wall Street guys who are looking to work with us. They want to change their careers. I told them to call me when our season gets going in March." Mark your calendars! [NYT]

Want to entertain attendees at your next Rotary Club luncheon with amusing anecdotes about the disastrous war in Iraq, the mismanagement of US foreign policy, and the crumbling of diplomatic relations with countless foreign nations? Glad to hear it, since just hours after the inauguration, Condoleezza Rice signed with William Morris "to pursue opportunities that will likely include books and lectures." [Variety]