On Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) was put in the position of defending his party’s agenda from Republican criticisms that it isn’t substantive enough. But a much more pleasant and likely noncontroversial action he has taken recently has been to appoint Elizabeth Thomas and Sudafi Henry to new positions on his staff. Both have degrees from prestigious institutions and a multitude of experience.

[IMGCAP(1)]Thomas is no stranger to the Hill and now serves as Hoyer’s new health policy adviser. In that role, she will handle health care and welfare issues. She started out as a policy analyst for former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.), and later served as a legislative assistant for former Rep. Robert Matsui (D-Calif.) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.). Thomas became Thompson’s deputy legislative director in 2005.

[IMGCAP(2)]Thomas earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Yale University in 1997 and her master’s degree in public policy — with a concentration in health care — from Harvard University in 2002. The 32-year-old is from Jacksonville, Fla.

She is joined by Henry, who was promoted to a counsel and senior policy adviser position. Henry will take care of financial services, trade, telecommunications, and consumer and intellectual property rights issues for the Congressman. He also will handle general business outreach and legal issues involving the bipartisan legal advisory group, a group made up of the Majority and Minority Leaders in the House. Additionally, he will deal with the House general counsel for the Office of the Majority Leader.

Henry is a native of Los Angeles and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1995. He then went on to earn his law degree from The George Washington University Law School in 2002. He is a member of the Maryland bar.

The 34-year-old is the former legislative director for Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). Prior to that, he worked for two years as a lawyer in a private firm.

Submit news of hires and promotions on Capitol Hill to Hill Climbers here
.