{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=13c4f685-47e6-408f-a8c9-053a324217a5", "Lee Names Derek Brown as Deputy Chief of Staff/State Director", "2013-12-12", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "UT", "Mike Lee", "L000577", "www.lee.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "SALT LAKE CITY \u2013 Today, Senator Mike Lee announced that current Utah State Representative Derek Brown has accepted the position of Deputy Chief of Staff and State Director for the senator\u2019s office.\u00a0 Rep. Brown will resign his seat in the Utah Legislature effective January 2, 2014 and will assume his new role on January 3rd.\u00a0 Senator Lee\u2019s Chief of Staff Boyd Matheson had been filling the State Director duties for the past year.\r\nSenator Lee commented, \u201cI am thrilled to have Derek Brown on board.\u00a0 I have known him since I helped recruit him to Sidley & Austin 11 years ago and look forward to what he will contribute to our staff, our constituents and leaders within the State of Utah.\u00a0 Derek is a great talent and understands the legislative process as well as critical functions of a senate office.\u201d\r\nIn addition to his stellar legal career, Derek Brown served as legal counsel to U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch and former U.S. Senator Robert Bennett (Full biography below).\r\n\u201cDerek\u2019s appointment is another important step in the strategy we began last year to move Senator Lee\u2019s positive reform agenda forward,\u201d said Senator Lee\u2019s chief of staff Boyd Matheson. \u201cDerek will be an integral part of our senior staff in executing our strategy and connecting it to the people of Utah.\u201d\r\n\u201cWhile it was a difficult decision to step down from the state legislature, joining Senator Lee and his team at this time with this agenda is an amazing opportunity,\u201d said Brown. \u201cThe Senator has established himself as a national thought leader and important player in the Republican Party.\u00a0 I am excited to work with community, government and business leaders around the state to help them engage with the senator on this important agenda for Utah and the country.\u00a0 It is a critical time in our history and Senator Lee has put forward positive solutions I believe are certain to be part of solving many of the challenges we face as a nation. \u201d\r\nSenator Lee concluded by saying, \u201cI have extraordinary staff in Washington and Utah who are all committed to serving the people of Utah.\u00a0 I have appreciated Boyd pulling double-duty for the past year and value his vision, wisdom and insight.\u00a0 With Derek joining the team we are well positioned for the next phase of our efforts.\u201d \r\n\r\nDerek Brown\u2019s Biography\r\nRepresentative Derek Brown currently serves in the Utah House of Representatives, where he serves as Vice Chair of the Rules Committee, Chair of the Occupational Professional Licensing Review Committee, and on both the\u00a0Business/Labor\u00a0and Law Enforcement Committees. \u00a0He is also Of Counsel with Pia Anderson Dorius Reynard Moss LLP. \u00a0Derek previously served as Counsel for Senator Robert F. Bennett in Washington, D.C., counsel for Senator Orrin Hatch in Salt Lake City, Utah, and practiced constitutional and appellate law with\u00a0Sidley\u00a0Austin\u00a0LLP in its Washington, D.C. office. \u00a0He also served as law clerk for Judge Ruggero Aldisert on the United\u00a0States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. \u00a0He has taught as an Adjunct Professor of law at Brigham Young University since 2007. \u00a0He currently serves as the Board President for the Utah Connections Academy, on the Board of Trustees for the Hale Center Theater, and on the Advisory Board for Intermountain Homecare. \u00a0He and his wife, Emilie de Azevedo, have four children.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=13c4f685-47e6-408f-a8c9-053a324217a5"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9408900514245033, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}