Announcements 09/16

Betsy Andres has been named deputy press secretary for Boehner, taking over for Kim Ketchel, who returned home to Tennessee to work as communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party. Andres has been working as an account supervisor for Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Before her time at Ogilvy, Andres worked as deputy press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee and was deputy communications director for the House Ways and Means Committee. Andres graduated from James Madison University in 2005.

{mosads}Cory Fritz will be press secretary now that Jessica Towhey joined Rob Portman’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. Fritz is from Ohio and has been working as a speechwriter and assistant press secretary for Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio). Before his time with the senator, Fritz worked as a reporter for the Athens News in Athens, Ohio. Fritz graduated in 2007 from Ohio University.

Honda brings on 2009-2010 APAICS fellow: Meina Banh will join Rep. Mike Honda’s (D-Calif.) office as the 2009-2010 Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) fellow. Banh recently received a master’s in public policy from UCLA’s School of Public Affairs. Her studies focused on issues relating to welfare reform and coalition building, concentrating on community and equitable development. She previously interned at the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development, where she helped lead a congressional briefing on the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

O’Neill and Associates promotes government-relations specialist: O’Neill and Associates, an agency that employs senior-level professionals to help clients with the right messages to target audiences, has announced a promotion. Jennifer R. Dunphy will now be director of the government-relations division of the agency and will work out of the firm’s Capitol Hill office.

Originally associate director, Dunphy will now play a bigger role in expanding O’Neill and Associates as she works to advance lobbying objectives on the local, state and federal levels by monitoring budgetary developments, among other responsibilities.

Roe announces new staff: Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) is pleased to announce new staff finishing out their first year working in the freshman congressman’s office:

Matt Meyer is legislative director, having previously served eight years for Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) as legislative director. Meyer specializes in healthcare, energy, budget, taxes and trade issues.

Amanda Little is Roe’s communications director. She is currently working on a master’s at Georgetown University and previously worked for then-Rep. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.) as his communications director. Before her time in D.C., Little worked in business and communications in New York City.

Mary Randolph Carpenter is scheduling director and financial administrator. She originally hails from Republican Conference Secretary John Carter’s (Texas) office. She attended Appalachian State University and has a degree in communications.

John Price is a legislative assistant and staffs Rep. Roe on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and advises him on judiciary and homeland security issues. Price is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Laine Evans is a legislative assistant who previously interned with various members of the Tennessee delegation, including former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R). Evans originally came on in February as Roe’s legislative correspondent. Now, as a legislative assistant, Evans is in charge of energy and environment, Social Security and the Second Amendment and transportation and small-business issues.

Tiffany McGuffee comes on as legislative correspondent and press assistant. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee.

Ashley Thayer, staff assistant, went to Tennessee Tech University. While in college, she interned for Rep. Phil Gingrey’s (R-Ga.) office in D.C. When she graduated in May, Thayer moved back to Washington to work in the congressman’s office as his staff assistant.