WASHINGTON, DC – Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) announced today the following changes to his Committee staff.

Alex Hoehn-Saric joins the Full Committee staff as Communications Counsel after a year as Counsel for the Commerce Subcommittees on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety and Interstate Commerce, Trade and Tourism. Prior to joining the Commerce Committee, Hoehn-Saric served as Counsel for Senator Barbara Boxer and as a Senior Associate for Latham & Watkins, where he developed expertise in the telecommunications, media, technology, and privacy arenas. Hoehn-Saric is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.  

Melissa Porter, the Committee’s new Transportation Counsel, was previously detailed to the Commerce Committee from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to work on rail-related legislation. At the FRA, Porter was a trial attorney in the safety law division and also briefly served as the Acting Deputy Regional Administrator of the FRA’s Cambridge, Mass., office. Porter graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center and holds a B.B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Spanish from Cleveland State University. 

Ann Zulkosky is the Committee’s newest Professional Staff member for the Subcommittees on Science, Technology, and Innovation and Space, Aeronautics, and Related Sciences. Zulkosky recently completed a year as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea Grant Fellow for the Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard. With a Master’s Degree in Marine Environmental Science from Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y., and as a Ph.D. candidate in the same academic field, Zulkosky brings expertise in climate sciences to the Committee.

Rob Blumenthal joins the staff as the new Communications Director. He was previously Director of Communications for INDUS Corporation, a Federal IT solutions provider, where he focused on public relations and Internet marketing communications. In addition, Blumenthal brings more than 10 years of experience in international and satellite telecommunications issues to the Committee. He is a graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.

Jenilee Keefe has been named Deputy Communications Director after serving as Assistant to the Communications Director for the Committee. Keefe has a background in field organizing, working for Senator John Kerry’s Presidential campaign. She is a graduate of the George Washington University with a B.A. in Political Communication and currently is working toward a J.D. at the Catholic University of America.