Climbers

AFresh Spin. Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) spruces up the committee’s press office by hiring a new communications director and press secretary.

Christin Tinsworth advances to the communications director post after serving as deputy director of communications.

Before joining the committee staff in 2001, Tinsworth was communications director to Rep. Anne Northup (R-Ky.).

The Bradenton, Fla., native also spent a year as press secretary for Citizens for a Sound Economy, a group that lobbies for lower tax rates.

Tinsworth began her career in the office of her hometown lawmaker, Rep. Dan Miller (R-Fla.). She joined the office in 1997 as a legislative assistant before moving up to press secretary.

A 1993 alumna of Vanderbilt University, Tinsworth has a bachelor’s in political science and human and organizational development.

New to the office is Molly Millerwise, who takes on duties as press secretary.

The Pinconning, Mich., native moves over from the House Republican Conference, where she served as deputy press secretary and press assistant to Conference Chairman J.C. Watts (R-Okla.).

Millerwise has also worked for Quinn Gillespie & Associates, where she served as a staff assistant.

A graduate of Western Michigan University, Millerwise has a bachelor’s in business management.

Land of Opportunity. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) has tapped two former interns, Amber Elbert and Jason Smedley, to be constituent relations assistants.

In addition to interning for the Arkansas Senator, Elbert, 22, has also interned in Rep. Marion Berry’s (D-Ark.) office.

The Horseshoe Bend, Ark., native is a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas. She has a bachelor’s in psychology.

Smedley, 24, hails from Little Rock, Ark. He has also interned in Rep. Vic Snyder’s (D-Ark.) office.

Smedley plans to graduate from Howard University in 2003 with a degree in English.

Check It Out. James Gallagher has been tapped to be director of information technology services at the Library of Congress.

Gallagher is a veteran of the Justice Department, most recently serving as acting deputy assistant attorney general and deputy chief information officer.

He received his law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law and has a bachelor’s from Connecticut’s Fairfield University.

Gallagher is also a graduate of National Defense University’s Information Resources Management College.