Freshman Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio) recently filled out his staff with a bevy of new faces.

Stacy Palmer-Barton takes over as chief of staff.

Prior to assuming her current position, Palmer-Barton founded the Barton Co., a government relations firm that specialized in representing urban cities.

Additionally, she spent several years in the lobbying business and was a fellow at the Congressional Black Caucus.

Palmer-Barton, 32, is an alumna of St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Melissa Decker, former legislative director and military legislative assistant for Rep. Ed Schrock (R-Va.), assumes the position of legislative director.

Her past Hill experience includes stints as senior legislative assistant to then-Rep. Jim Talent (R-Mo.), as an aide to Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) and as legislative research analyst to the House Republican Conference under then-Chairman John Boehner (Ohio).

The Ashland, Ohio, native received a bachelor’s in politics and public policy from Bethany College and a master’s in public administration from Syracuse University.

Ariane Newell comes aboard as legislative assistant in charge of faith-based initiatives, education, judiciary and welfare-reform issues, among others.

Newell, a member of Hampton University’s class of 2001, holds a bachelor’s in political science.

The 23-year-old Dayton, Ohio, native previously served a variety of roles in the office of then-Georgia Rep. Bob Barr (R), including Web manager, deputy press secretary and legislative correspondent.

The internationally minded Robert Kerr steps up to the plate as Turner’s State Department legislative fellow with responsibility for issues ranging from foreign affairs to campaign finance reform.

This global nomad’s work has taken

him all over the world from postings as a Peace Corps volunteer in Maseru, Lesotho, to assistant public affairs officer for the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and closer to home as a State Department legislative fellow for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.).

Kerr, who received a 1981 bachelor’s in mathematics and computer science from the State University of New York at Binghamton, went on to earn a master’s in international relations from Columbia University six years later. The 43-year-old is from Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.

New Press Secretary and Scheduler Mike Wiehe is an old hand at Buckeye State politics, having formerly worked for Ohio Gov. Bob Taft (R) and for Turner when he was mayor of Dayton.

Hailing from Celina, Ohio, Wiehe, 27, holds a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in urban administration from Wright State University.

An alumnus of Sen. Mike DeWine’s (R-Ohio) office, Andrew Eckstein joins Turner’s team as legislative assistant for natural resources, agriculture, small business, tax, trade and labor issues.

The 24-year-old Lehigh University graduate is currently working toward a master’s in international affairs and national security at the Air Force Command and Staff College.

Eckstein, who attended high school in Turner’s district, is from Dayton, Ohio.

Hill neophyte Scott Thompson, 22, arrives at the office as staff assistant.

The Bellefontaine, Ohio, native earned a bachelor’s in business administration and human resources from Ohio University in November 2002.

Dunn’s Dandies. Evergreen State Rep. Jennifer Dunn’s (R) office has undergone a trio of changes this month.

Chris Miller, formerly on the staff of then-Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.), has joined the Washington lawmaker as legislative assistant for judiciary and transportation issues.

The 25-year-old Miller, who hails from Eugene, Ore., holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Oregon State University.

Staff assistant Angela Harper, 23, gets the nod to move up to legislative assistant with responsibility for small business, postal operations and women’s caucus issues.

A native of Tacoma, Wash., the Vanderbilt University graduate earned a bachelor’s in economics.

New staff assistant Jessica Rubie, from Bothell, Wash., arrives in the office fresh from stints as caseworker in Dunn’s Mercer Island office and in former Sen. Slade Gorton’s (R) Bellevue office.

The 23-year-old received a bachelor’s in international studies from the University of Washington.