House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota announced the addition of new Committee staff members Wednesday.

Dana Sandman will serve as the Committee’s Chief Clerk. A Monterey, Calif., native, Sandman comes to the Committee with nearly two decades of service on the Hill, in both the House and Senate, most recently from the office of Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. Sandman is a graduate of California State University-Monterey Bay.

Jennifer Yezak will serve as Deputy Clerk for the Committee. Yezak most recently served as Colorado’s Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture. Prior to that she served at USDA during the Clinton and Obama Administrations. She was also the Director of Legislative and Public Affairs for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. She grew up on a small cow-calf operation in central Texas, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M.

Rebekah Solem will serve as Director of Scheduling. Solem returns to the Committee staff after serving most recently as Senior Legislative Assistant and Scheduler with Chairman Peterson’s personal office. She grew up on a black angus operation in Thief River Falls, Minn., holds a degree from Carleton College and is pursuing a master’s at George Mason University.

Emily German will serve as Legislative Assistant. She has worked for several past members of the House Agriculture Committee, including Congressman Pete Gallego of Texas and most recently as senior legislative assistant for Congressman Rick Nolan of Minnesota. German is from Houston and a graduate of Texas A&M.

Alison Titus will serve as Legislative Assistant. Prior to joining the Committee, Titus was Legislative Assistant to Congressman Tim Walz of Minnesota. A New Jersey native, she holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago.

Ross Hettervig will serve as the Committee’s Digital Outreach Specialist. Hettervig comes to the Committee from the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, where he was Digital Director. He grew up on a beef cattle operation in the Red River Valley and is a graduate of North Dakota State University.

Tom Mattocks will serve as Press Secretary. Mattocks was most recently the Media Logistics Assistant for the House Radio/TV Correspondents’ Gallery and previously the Editorial Operations Specialist at POLITICO. Mattocks is a graduate of Appalachian State University.

Callie Murphy will serve as the Committee’s Staff Assistant. Murphy grew up on a row-crop farm in Felton, Minn., and holds a degree in political science from North Dakota State University.

The Committee also welcomes Justina Graff as the Committee’s spring semester intern. Justina is a junior at Texas A&M studying agricultural economics. She grew up on a sixth-generation working farm and ranch in Hondo, Texas.

“The addition of these capable staff will help the Committee tackle the work ahead in the 116th Congress,” said Peterson. “As a team, we look forward to officially organizing tomorrow and moving forward to serve the farmers, ranchers, rural communities and working families across the country.”