Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) named Michelle Easton as his new legislative director last month. Easton will take on her new responsibilities while continuing to handle her duties as minority staff director of the Aging Committee, a position she was selected for in 2000.

Prior to joining Breaux’s staff, Easton worked on health care, welfare and Social Security issues for Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.). She was also a public policy associate for C. Everett Koop’s Children’s National Medical Center, where she developed community-based health programs.

Easton, a native of Lafayette, La., holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s of public administration and law degree from George Washington University.

No More Snowe Days for Calderwood. Last month longtime staffer Jane Calderwood stepped down from her post as Sen. Olympia Snowe’s (R-Maine) chief of staff to become vice president of the consulting firm Brown and Company Inc.

Calderwood, 43, has worked for Snowe for two decades since her graduation from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. She moved up from her staff-level position with then-Rep. Snowe and eventually became the Senator’s legislative director and then her chief of staff in June 2001.

Brown and Company Inc. is a consulting firm specializing in Congressional relations and federal contracting. Calderwood will help oversee the firm’s role as the Washington representative for the American Shipbuilding Association.

Smith Gets Some Expert Advice. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) recently announced the hiring of Beth Stewart as his new adviser on foreign relations and national security.

Stewart is a six-year veteran of the Foreign Relations Committee and worked closely with Smith when he chaired the subcommittee on European affairs. She was also a transatlantic fellow for the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

A North Carolina native, Stewart holds a bachelor’s in public policy from Stanford University.

[IMGCAP(1)]Palmetto State Pickups. Paul Callahan and Jessica Eggimann started the new year by settling into their roles as the two newest staffers in Rep. Joe Wilson’s (R-S.C.) office.

As Wilson’s new legislative correspondent, Callahan will help handle the Congressman’s constituent mail. Before heading to the Hill, Callahan, 32, worked for the American Cancer Society in South Carolina, with his primary responsibilities being patient advocacy and casework.

A Greenville, S.C., native, Callahan graduated from the College of Charleston in 1996 with a degree in political science.

Eggimann, who hails from Gulf Breeze, Fla., is Wilson’s new scheduler. Since graduating from Converse College in 2000, Eggimann has worked for her alma mater as an admissions counselor and assistant director of admissions. The 25-year-old holds a degree in Spanish and psychology.