Rep.-elect Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) has chosen Chip Lake to serve as his new chief of staff.

Lake is no stranger to the House, having served as a general consultant for Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) in 2002 and 2004. He also served on the campaigns of two newly elected Members of the House; in addition to Westmoreland, he also consulted for Member-elect Tom Price (R-Ga.).

Lake graduated from Auburn University with a degree in political science and public administration. The 31-year-old is a native of Atlanta.

Dent Selects Two. Although still a state Senator until he is sworn into the Congress on Jan. 4, Member-elect Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) has begun the process of forming his staff for both his district and Washington, D.C., offices.

George McElwee, 29, has been hired as administrative assistant. He will be in charge of the Washington office, and in the coming weeks he will help determine the makeup of the staff.

McElwee joins Dent’s staff after having worked as the director of federal government affairs for the American Financial Services Association. Prior to his work for AFSA he had served as a staffer for Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.).

A native of Bethlehem, Pa., a town within the Representative-elect’s district, McElwee received a political science degree from Shippensburg University in 1998. Earlier this year, he received a graduate certificate in political management from George Washington University.

Carol Halper has been chosen to serve as Dent’s district director. She has been a longtime aide for the Member-elect, having served first as legislative aide when he was a state Representative and then as his chief of staff when he won election to the Pennsylvania state Senate.

Halper resides in Allentown, Pa., and was born in Philadelphia. She received a bachelor’s from Kutztown University.

Hill Vet Leaves for RMA. Scott Brenner, a 10-year veteran of Capitol Hill, is leaving the public sector to go to join the Rubber Manufacturers Association as vice president of government affairs.

Brenner, 39, has worked in a number of offices in Congress, including those of Florida Reps. Bill McCollum (R) and Clay Shaw (R). He also worked for the Ways and Means Committee as a deputy press secretary, and for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as communications director. He later served as associate administrator for external affairs with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A native of Reno, Nev., Brenner received a bachelor’s from the University of Nevada at Reno.