Eager for Emerson
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson’s (R-Mo.) office has been swimming in a “Missouri River” of additions and promotions, according to her new communications director, Jeffrey Connor.
Originally from Omaha, Neb., Connor is a veteran director of Rep. Lee Terry’s (R-Neb.) press shop.
In 1999, the 26-year-old earned a bachelor’s in English literature from Washington University in St. Louis.
Connor fills the shoes of the departed Michelle Dimarob, who moved to the Widmeyer Group.
John Slotman has joined the team as a legislative assistant. The Moorestown, N.J., native has also worked for Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and for the House Ways and Means Committee on the staff of the health subcommittee.
The 26-year-old graduated from Drew University in 1999 with a degree in political science and French.
Slotman replaces Hallie Maranchick, who now works for Rep. Phil Crane (R-Ill.).
Sarah Crouthers, 22, was welcomed on board as a staff assistant. The Sikeston, Mo., native was a Senate page in 1998.
Crouthers received a degree in political science from the University of Missouri at Columbia in 2003.
Lindsay Holwick was bumped up to legislative correspondent as Crouthers assumes her former role as staff assistant. Holwick, who hails from Kansas City, Mo., has also interned for Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.).
The 24-year-old graduated from the University of Missouri at Columbia as
well, receiving a political science degree in 2002.
Josh Haynes, another Kansas City native, is the new special projects manager in Emerson’s Cape Girardeau, Mo., office.
Haynes, 27, studied political science and international relations at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., where he graduated in 1998. He earned a M.S. in divinity from Baylor University in 2002.
Haynes replaces Aaron Washburn, who has moved to Sen. Jim Talent’s (R-Mo.) office.
Sheila’s New Staffers. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) has recently seen a slew of staff changes.
Malcolm Grace, formerly legislative counselor, has been promoted to legislative director. Prior to his tenure in Lee’s office, the 31-year-old was an attorney at the law firm of Conlon, Frantz, Phelan & Pires.
The Columbia, Md., native graduated from Syracuse University in 1994 with a bachelor’s in history. Grace received a J.D. from Syracuse University Law School in 1997.
Nkenge Harmon was also bumped from legislative counselor to senior legislative counselor and press secretary. The Portland, Ore., native was president of her graduating class at Howard University Law School in 2002 and she volunteers with the District of Columbia Bar Association pro bono clinic in Anacostia.
Harmon, 26, received her degree in business administration from Florida A&M University in 1999. She graduated from Howard University Law School in 2002.
Dana Thompson has been newly appointed legislative counsel. The native Washingtonian was formerly an associate at the law firm Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan and Silver.
Thompson, 30, received a bachelor’s in German studies from Yale University in 1997. In 2001, he received a certificate in public international law from Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law.
Cynthia Buggage serves as the new chief of staff after working as district director. At 44 years old, Buggage has more than 20 years of experience as a municipal government grants administrator, state university instructor and assistant athletic director, and regional director for the NAACP.
The Donaldsonville, La., native received an MPA in policy and personnel from Texas Southern University in Houston.
J. Goodwille Pierre has been tapped as district director. He is licensed to practice law in Texas, the Federal South Court of Texas and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Rebecca Gale was promoted from staff assistant to legislative correspondent and press assistant. The Cincinnati native has also interned for Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
The 22-year-old graduated from Miami University in Ohio in 2002 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
Charles Collins is a new staff assistant. The 25-year-old worked in the Congresswoman’s office last spring as a Mickey Leland Fellow.
The Austin, Texas, native graduated from Prairie View A&M University in 2001 and will soon complete his final year of law school at Texas Southern University in Houston.
Ravi Sawhney jumped on board as the senior legislative assistant. The 35-year-old has worked as an orthodontist in a private Seattle practice and did research in biophysics as a post-doctoral fellow at the Max-Planck Institute in Dresden, Germany.
The Raleigh, N.C., native received a bachelor’s in biology and a DDS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sawhney obtained a master’s in orthodontics and a doctorate in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Washington in Seattle.
LaDedra Drummond rounds out the new group as deputy press secretary and systems administrator. The Washington native has also worked for CNN on the “Larry King Live” show, the House recording studio, WUSA-TV, CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) as press secretary and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) as special projects coordinator and webmaster.
The 36-year-old graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1989.