Feeney Promotes One
Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) has promoted Tonnie Wybensinger from legislative assistant to legislative director. Wybensinger takes over for Feeney veteran Ryan Visco, who will now work as a counsel for the House Judiciary subcommittee on courts, Internet and intellectual property.
Previously, Wybensinger worked in the office of then-Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), starting as a staff assistant and working her way up to legislative assistant. When Toomey decided to run for the Senate, she joined his campaign staff. She joined Feeney’s office last summer.
Wybensinger said she is very excited about her promotion. “Working with Congressman Feeney and my fellow colleagues has been an incredible experience,” Wybensinger said in a statement, adding that she is “elated about this opportunity to serve in a new capacity.”
A 2000 graduate of Ohio State University, Wybensinger studied international development and economics. The 26-year-old hails from New London, Ohio.
New Staffer for Van Hollen. Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D) has picked up a new staffer to fill a vacancy in his Washington, D.C., office. Muncie McNamara, 23, will serve as a staff assistant.
McNamara previously worked on Social Security issues for the AARP. He replaces Winston Sale, who is headed to Georgetown University Law Center. McNamara graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles with a bachelor’s in politics. In his role as staff assistant, McNamara will specialize in constituent outreach. He calls Charlotte, N.C., home. [IMGCAP(1)]
RSC Picks Up Two. The Republican Study Committee, chaired by Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.), added two new staffers to its legislative staff earlier this month.
Derek Vaughn Baker, 36, has been brought on board as a senior legislative analyst. His duties include serving as a general analyst focusing on social issues, the judiciary and immigration.
Previously, Baker spent almost a decade in the office of then-Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas), serving in a number of different capacities for the veteran lawmaker. In addition to working on his staff, he served on a Senate campaign and on Gramm’s 1996 presidential campaign. On the presidential campaign, Baker worked on administration, correspondence and fundraising, among other things.
The Sherman, Texas, native is currently finishing his work on a bachelor’s in political science and religion at Liberty University. Baker and his wife, Melissa, have a 2-year-old daughter, Reagan.
Joelle Cannon, 23, comes on board as a legislative analyst for the RSC. She will focus on general policy analysis, as well as federal agency and program oversight.
Before joining the RSC, Cannon worked for two years in the personal office of House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), first as a staff assistant and then as a legislative correspondent. A native of Joplin, Mo., Cannon graduated from Missouri State University in 2004 with a bachelor’s in political science.