Newly elected Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) has hired Todd Poole as her district director.

Poole, a veteran of North Carolina politics, previously served in the office of Rep. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) for six years. He worked in the Member’s Washington, D.C., and district offices.

In addition to constituent services, he focused on issues dealing with the Homeland Security and State departments, as well as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. Postal Service.

Immediately prior to joining Foxx’s office, Poole worked as a field representative in North Carolina for President Bush in his re-election campaign.

Poole graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s in political science. While there, he served as student body vice president and currently sits on the alumni council.

Vitter Adds Staff. New Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) announced several staff appointments before the holidays.

Louisiana state Rep. Mike Futrell will serve as state director. He currently represents the 66th state House district and is a partner in the law firm Futrell and Casteel. He is stepping down from both positions to work on the Hill.

Futrell is a lifelong resident of Baton Rouge and has served for eight years as a public official. He attended Louisiana State University for both his undergraduate and graduate work; he received a bachelor’s in business administration and a law degree in 1985 from the school.

Mac Abrams will join Vitter’s staff as communications director. No stranger to Washington, D.C., Abrams has served as communications director for Rep. Jim McCrery (R-La.) for the past six years. He also served as the communications director for Vitter’s Senate campaign.

Neugebauer Picks Chief. Recently re-elected Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) announced last month that he appointed Gayland Barksdale as his chief of staff. He will work out of Washington, D.C., and will be responsible for the direction of the Representative’s office.

Barksdale previously served in the office of then-Rep. Dick Armey (R-Texas). He worked his way up the office food chain, serving first as a constituent liaison, then as legislative assistant and legislative director. He finished as Armey’s chief of staff from 1999 until his retirement in 2002.

Barksdale is a native of Justin, Texas, and graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s in political science.