Last week, a pair of new staffers — Karen Popeo and Bruce Fernandez — began work in Rep. Stephen Lynch’s (D-Mass.) Capitol Hill office.

Popeo is a Massachusetts native who will work as a staff assistant and press aide. She is a former intern for Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) and graduated in 2003 from Boston College. The part-time wedding singer holds two degrees in English and theology.

Fernandez is a former property and criminal lawyer who will now handle legislative correspondent duties for Lynch. The Rochester, N.Y., native is a former intern for Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). Fernandez is also a Boston College graduate who earned a law degree from Boston University in 2003.

Welcome to Washington. After winning Kentucky’s special House election in February, Rep. Ben Chandler (D) has started to build his new Capitol Hill staff with seven recent appointments.

Taking on the role of chief of staff is David MacKnight, 43. MacKnight worked for Chandler when he was Kentucky’s attorney general. The Northern Kentucky University graduate also holds a law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Jason Sauer, 24, will continue the work he started as Chandler’s campaign communications director in his new role as deputy chief of staff and press secretary. Sauer, who worked on Chandler’s unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign last year, previously worked as press secretary for the former attorney general.

The Harvard graduate holds a degree in government and is currently pursuing a master’s in national security policy at the University of Kentucky. Sauer, 24, hails from Owensboro, Ky.

Chandler’s campaign deputy

communications director Clinton Dockery, 23, will now serve as senior legislative assistant for the Congressman. Dockery, who also worked on Chandler’s gubernatorial campaign, is a graduate of Yale University and holds a bachelor’s in ethics, politics and economics. He calls Louisville, Ky., his hometown.

Morgan McGarvey, 24, moves from deputy campaign manager to legislative assistant/scheduler for the Congressman. McGarvey is also a veteran of Chandler’s gubernatorial bid. The University of Missouri graduate holds a degree in journalism and is a native of Louisville, Ky.

Coming aboard as legislative correspondent/systems administrator is Amy Hille, 24. Hille is a former study abroad peer adviser for the University of Kentucky’s Office of International Affairs. The Berea, Ky., native has also worked in the International Center at Berea College and as an intern at the State Department. Hille holds a master’s degree from the University of Kentucky and a bachelor’s from Berea College.

Katie Ray, 24, will be joining Chandler’s staff soon as an executive assistant/legislative assistant. The scheduler/staff assistant for Rep. Ken Lucas (D-Ky.) is a graduate of Boston College and holds a bachelor’s in English. Ray hails from Atlanta.

Chandler’s new staff assistant is Brenda Senter, 55. Senter is a former program disability specialist for the Kentucky Department of Metal Retardation and Developmental Disabilities who also worked for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

The Versailles, Ky., native holds a master’s in organizational communications and secondary education from Murray State University and a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University.

Lillian Pace, 23, has been brought on as Chandler’s new legislative assistant. The former staffer for Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) is a native of Alexandria, Va. Pace holds a bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University and is working toward a master’s in public policy at George Washington University.