Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.) recently announced that he has hired Stella Ma, a naturalized citizen from China, as a legislative assistant.

Although Ma, 21, spent her formative years in the United States, she was born in Shanghai and attended high school in Hong Kong at the Hong Kong International School. As a result of her time abroad, Ma is fluent in Mandarin, in addition to several other Chinese dialects.

She then returned to the United States to attend New York University, which she graduated from with a bachelor’s in economics and a minor in political science.

Ma takes over for Rafael Turner, who just moved to Kildee’s district office in Bay City. She will handle issues related to veterans’ affairs, federal employees and science/technology. Before joining Kildee’s staff, Ma volunteered for retired Gen. Wesley Clark’s (D) presidential campaign.

House Science Committee Staff Expands. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) has announced the addition of three staffers to the House Science Committee, which he chairs.

Roselee Roberts has been hired to serve as a professional staff member and designee to Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), who chairs the panel’s subcommittee on space and aeronautics.

Roberts will be especially well prepared to serve on the subcommittee, since she has worked for the Boeing Corp. for the past 17 years, most recently as director of legislative affairs. While with the aerospace giant, she dealt with programs such as the international space station, the space shuttle and aeronautical research.

Prior to working for Boeing, Roberts

served on the Hill in several capacities, including a stint as staff director for then-Rep. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) when he was chairman of the committee Roberts was just appointed to. Roberts holds a bachelor’s in economics and mathematics from the University of Miami and a master’s in economics from Virginia Tech.

Rachel Jagoda, 24, has also been appointed to the staff. She will serve as a staff assistant for the full committee and will be responsible for front office operations. Prior to joining the committee’s staff, she worked for the Federation of American Scientists, and she has also been involved with the American Society of Engineering Education.

Jagoda, a native of the San Francisco area, holds a bachelor’s in physics from Georgetown University and is in the process of getting her master’s in political management from George Washington University.

Zachary Kurz, 24, is another new staff member. He joins the office as a staff assistant and will provide administrative and legislative support to senior staff, as well as administrative support to the press office.

Before joining the committee staff, Kurz served in the personal office of Boehlert as an intern. Kurz, who hails from Greene, N.Y., graduated from Hamilton College in 2003 with a bachelor’s in economics.