{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-ready-hit-ground-running-114th-congress", "Roby: Ready to Hit the Ground Running in 114th Congress", "2014-11-24", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "AL", "Martha Roby", "R000591", "roby.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) today announced her Congressional staff for the 114th Congress. Several new staff members have been hired, and others promoted, all to enhance legislative efforts and constituent services, Rep. Roby said.\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m proud of what we have accomplished thus far, and I\u2019m optimistic the new Republican majority will present more opportunities for legislative success under regular order. As such, I have been pleased to bring on new staff members, promote current ones and organize our team in a way that can expand our legislative capabilities.\n\t\u201cSince first being elected to Congress, I\u2019ve tried to surround myself with top-notch staff members who add value to our legislative efforts and demonstrate a commitment to serving the people of Alabama\u2019s 2nd District. I\u2019m confident our new staff members will contribute greatly to our ability to get results on behalf of my constituents, and we are eager to hit the ground running in the 114th Congress.\u201d\n \nRep. Roby maintains a Capitol Hill office in Washington D.C. where legislative, scheduling and communications staff are based. Rep. Roby also operates three District offices in Andalusia, Dothan and Montgomery, where staff specialize in constituent services and community\u00a0outreach.\u00a0\nSenior Staff\n Chief\u00a0of Staff: Stephen E. Boyd\u00a0\n\t\tBoyd has served as Rep. Roby\u2019s chief of staff the last four years. In this role, Boyd serves as Rep. Roby\u2019s top adviser, leads the team of 15 staff members, and manages all aspects of the Congressional office. Boyd previously worked more than six years on the staff of U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, serving as senior advisor and Communications Director. He is a native of Birmingham and a graduate of the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama School of Law.\n  District Director:\u00a0Joe Williams\n\t\tWilliams has served as Rep. Roby\u2019s District Director the last four years. In this role, Williams manages Rep. Roby\u2019s district staff, oversees a range of constituent services, and serves as the primary liaison to state and local elected officials and business and community groups. Williams is a native of Headland, Ala., and a graduate of Auburn University, the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He previously served on the staff of former Congressman Terry Everett for more than ten years.\n  Executive Assistant: Jessica Fuller Hamilton \u00a0\n\t\tHamilton has served the last four years as Rep. Roby\u2019s Executive Assistant, being the point of contact for all of Rep. Roby\u2019s scheduling requests and managing the office\u2019s intern program. Hamilton served on the staff of U.S. Senator Richard Shelby for nearly four years before joining the Roby office. A native of Mobile, Ala., Hamilton received her undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama and graduate degree in Communication Management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.\n  Communications Director: Todd Stacy\n\t\tA Prattville, Ala.\u00a0native and\u00a0Auburn University graduate, Stacy has been Rep. Roby\u2019s Communications Director since September 2012. In this role, Stacy manages Rep. Roby\u2019s external communications, acts as her spokesman and is the point of contact for media inquiries. Prior to coming to Rep. Roby\u2019s office, Stacy worked as Communications Director for Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard and\u00a0as Press Secretary for former Alabama Governor Bob Riley.\u00a0\n  Legislative Director: Mike Albares\n\t\tAlbares was recently promoted to Legislative Director in the Roby office. He will lead Rep. Roby\u2019s legislative team, overseeing her work on the House Committee on Appropriations while continuing to personally handle agriculture issues. The\u00a0Dothan native and University of Richmond graduate has worked on Rep. Roby\u2019s legislative staff the last four years as Legislative Correspondent and Legislative Aide. Prior to his time with Team Roby, Albares worked on the staff of former Ohio Republican Senator George Voinovich.\n Washington D.C. Staff\n Military\u00a0Legislative\u00a0Assistant:\u00a0Andrew Ashley\n\t\tAshley was recently hired\u00a0as Military Legislative Aide for Rep. Roby. A native of Northern Virginia and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Ashley previously worked for Honeywell International in defense procurement and currently serves in the Reserves Congressional Affairs division. He received his MBA from the University of South Carolina and is a combat veteran of Southern Afghanistan. In the Roby office, Ashley\u2019s responsibilities include defense policy, veterans issues, foreign affairs and homeland security. He fills the vacancy created when Mac Tolar moved from the Roby office to the Select Committee on Benghazi.\n  Legislative Assistant: Sophie Trainor\n\t\tTrainor was recently hired as Legislative Assistant for Rep. Roby, specializing in\u00a0health,\u00a0education,\u00a0workforce and financial services issues.\u00a0Trainor previously worked for Senator Jeff Sessions and Congressman Lee Terry (R-NE).\u00a0 Trainor graduated from the University of Alabama, where she studied Human Environmental Sciences.\n  Legislative Correspondent: David Wellen\n\t\tWellen has been\u00a0promoted to Legislative Correspondent. Wellen hails from\u00a0New Orleans and is a graduate of Louisiana State University, where he studied political science. He previously worked as Staff Assistant in Rep. Roby\u2019s office.\n  Staff Assistant:\u00a0Margaret Virden\n\t\tVirden was hired\u00a0this Summer as Staff Assistant in Rep. Roby\u2019s office. A native of Montgomery, Ala., Virden is a recent graduate of Mississippi State University where she studied business management. In Summer 2013, she interned in Rep. Roby\u2019s office, leading tours of the U.S. Capitol and assisting with constituent services. Virden fills the vacancy created by the promotion of former Staff Assistant David Wellen.\u00a0\n  Press\u00a0Assistant:\u00a0Lindsee Gentry\n\t\tGentry was\u00a0hired this Summer as Press Assistant in Rep. Roby\u2019s office. Gentry is originally from Southaven, Miss., and a recent graduate of the University of Alabama, where she studied journalism. In the Washington office, Gentry assists the communications director and Rep. Roby with a wide range of press activities, including interaction with media organizations. Gentry fills a vacancy created when Seth Morrow left the Roby office to become Communications Director for Congressman Bradley Byrne.\n Alabama District Staff\n Field Representative: Lori Ward Williams\n\t\tWilliams, of Clio, Ala., has transitioned to the role of Field Representative for the Montgomery District Office. She had previously served as the Field Representative in the Wiregrass Area, and assumed the Montgomery role after the departure of Ronda Walker, who Governor Bentley appointed to the\u00a0Montgomery\u00a0County Commission. Her regional focus now includes Autauga, Bullock, Butler, Crenshaw, Elmore, Montgomery and Pike Counties. Williams also coordinates the military academy nomination process, as well as submissions to the Congressional Art Competition. She is a graduate of Auburn University Montgomery and previously worked on the staffs of former Alabama Governor Bob Riley and former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford.\n  Field Representative: Cindy Pate\n\t\tPate was recently hired\u00a0as a Field Representative for the Wiregrass area. Pate, of Birmingham, and a graduate of Samford University, previously worked for U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions and U.S. Representative Spencer Bachus (R-AL). She is the field representative for the Wiregrass counties including: Conecuh, Covington, Geneva, Coffee, Dale, Henry and Barbour.\n  Constituent Services Representative (Montgomery): Charlotte Wood Bent\n\t\tBent, of Montgomery, has served as Rep. Roby\u2019s Montgomery Constituent Services Representative the last four years. Prior to her time in the Roby office, she served eight years on the staff of former Congressman Terry Everett and also worked for the Social Security Administration. Bent is a graduate of Troy University.\n  Constituent Services Representative (Dothan): Barbara Hulse Light\n\t\tA native of Virginia, and graduate of James Madison University (BA) and Troy State University (MS), she first moved to the Wiregrass in 1996 with her husband when he was stationed at Fort Rucker. Prior to joining Rep. Roby\u2019s staff, she served on the Dale County Board of Registrars. \u00a0\u00a0\n  Constituent Services Representative (Andalusia):\u00a0Amelia McMahon\n\t\tMcMahon, a native of Covington County, has worked in the Roby office since January 2014. Prior to her time in the Roby office, she worked seven years in Congressman Jeff Miller's (R-FL) Fort Walton Beach district office and at Crestview Aerospace. She is a graduate of the University of West Florida with a degree in elementary education.\u00a0\n Office locations\nCapitol Hill Office  \n\t442 Cannon House Office Building  \n\tWashington, D.C. 20515  \n\t202-225-2901 (phone)  \n\t202-225-8913 (fax)\nCovington County Office  \n\t505 East Three Notch Street  \n\tAndalusia City Hall, Room 322  \n\tAndalusia, AL\u00a036420  \n\t334-428-1129 (phone)  \n\t334-222-3342 (fax)\nDothan Office  \n\t217 Graceland Drive  \n\tSuite 5  \n\tDothan, AL 36305  \n\t334-794-9680 (phone)  \n\t334-671-1480 (fax)\nMontgomery Office  \n\t401 Adams Avenue  \n\tSuite 160  \n\tMontgomery, AL 36104  \n\t334-277-9113 (phone)  \n\t334-277-8534 (fax)", 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": ["http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-ready-hit-ground-running-114th-congress"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6999691724777222, "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"}