Deirdre Murphy gives a pretty good description of the average Hill Climber. She said she “lives for her job, enjoys the occasional run” and likes getting a drink with her friends. She has a liberal arts degree. She loves politics. She once worked as a Congressional page. And at her last role at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, her pet fish once jumped out of its bowl, only to be partially revived in the women’s bathroom. [IMGCAP(1)]

Fishless, she now joins the office of Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) as her communications director. She leaves her post at the DSCC after spending about a year and a half as the deputy communications director, working on all of the Senatorial campaigns. Before that, Murphy, 25, had “dabbled” in journalism at the Online NewsHour and spent a year at a nonprofit that concentrated on health care. But she said her job at the DSCC “changed her career path,” and that path will continue in Moore’s office.

A 2004 graduate of the University of Virginia, Murphy is originally from Falls Church, Va.

Run! Caddy! Walk! … Down the Aisle. Unlike our previous Hill Climber, Tara Hendershott runs a lot.

Hendershott, who recently completed her second half-marathon, now works on Capitol Hill as a deputy press secretary for Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.). She is fresh out of the private sector, as she comes to Allard’s office from Lee & Smith PC, where she worked as an executive assistant.

Originally from Glendora, Calif., Hendershott, 23, graduated from the University of Washington in 2005 with degrees in communications and political science. She will be responsible for pitching interviews, tracking press coverage and coordinating weekly radio conferences, among other duties.

Dan Murray is Allard’s new natural resources legislative correspondent. Murray, 23, has some respectable skills as a caddie, after hauling the clubs of former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka. A phone call to Allard’s office led to quizzical inquiries that ultimately resulted in the conclusion that Allard does not play golf, however. Perhaps Murray’s experience as a campaign manager for a Colorado state legislative race and a staff assistant in Allard’s office is what earned him this position.

Murray graduated in 2006 from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in political science. He will be responsible for handling American Indian affairs, historic preservation issues, and managing renewable energy and energy efficiency caucuses, along with other duties.

Allard also has promoted Steve Wymer from press secretary to communications director. He is responsible for speaking for Allard and crafting the communications strategies for the office.

Wymer, 29, has a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Washington State University, and after graduating in 2001 he worked in the office of Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) as a legislative staffer. He is set to wed Michele Gordon of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Aug. 12.

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