Mike Hershey, 38, longtime chief of staff for Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), announced that he was stepping down last week after 14 years with the Senator. Hershey has been a member of Santorum’s staff since Santorum’s election to the House of Representatives in 1991. In a statement, the Senator thanked Hershey for his “years of service” and “his commitment and loyalty to my staff and the people of Pennsylvania.”

Originally from Columbia, Pa., Hershey attended Franklin and Marshall College and graduated with a degree in government. He has been appointed as the senior vice president of government affairs for the National Association of Broadcasters, a group representing broadcast TV and radio networks.

Santorum’s current legislative director, Wayne Palmer, is taking over for the departing Hershey. Also a native Pennsylvanian, Palmer received a bachelor’s in political science from Pennsylvania State University and holds a master’s in government from the University of Pennsylvania.

Palmer originally was a member of Santorum’s staff from 1995 to 1999 as senior legislative assistant. After briefly working as legislative director for Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) from 1999 to 2000, he rejoined the Santorum team in January 2001 to serve as legislative director.

Taking over Palmer’s legislative duties is Zack Moore. Moore hails from Highspire, Pa., and holds a bachelor’s in international politics from Penn State.

Before founding Moore Federal Solutions, a firm representing institutions seeking federal funding, in 2001, Zack had worked on the staffs of Reps. George Gekas (R-Pa.) and Charles Canady (R-Fla.). He then joined Santorum’s staff in 1999 as the director of special projects. [IMGCAP(1)]

Golden State Changes. Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) has had a number of recent staff changes both at home and in Washington.

The chief of staff of Cox’s California office, James Fournier, a 50-year veteran in the public sector, is retiring and being replaced by current Deputy Chief of Staff Steve DiGerlando. Beginning his tenure with Cox in 1991, DiGerlando has a bachelor’s in history from California State University at Fullerton. Before entering the realm of politics he taught at several California colleges.

Sarah Petry, 23, is taking over for DiGerlando as deputy chief of staff in the district office. She has served as one of Cox’s legislative assistants in Washington since 2002, when she graduated from Princeton University with a degree in politics.

The Congressman’s new communications director is Bailey Wood, who will handle both Cox’s and the House Policy Committee’s press. Wood, 31, has a long history in Washington, serving as press secretary for Reps. Mike Ferguson (R-N.J.) and Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio). He was also a legislative assistant to the House Education and Workforce Committee for then-Chairman Bill Goodling (R-Pa.)

Kelly Klundt will now be handling front office duties for Cox in his Hill office. She previously worked as a production assistant for McCarthy Marcus Hennings Ltd. and worked as a White House intern. Klundt, 25, is a graduate of the University of North Dakota with a dual major in international studies and Spanish.

Lars Walton, also a former White House intern, joined the Congressman’s office in April as a policy assistant, and will handle agriculture, banking and finance, and veterans’ issues for Cox. The 23-year-old is a graduate of University of California at Berkeley, where he majored in political science.