Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) recently promoted four staffers in his Capitol Hill office.

The current deputy press secretary, Christine Shott, has been promoted to press secretary. Before coming into Santorum’s office, Shott worked for a number of House Members, including Reps. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), Melissa Hart (R-Pa.) and Bill Goodling (R-Pa.).

The 28-year-old hails from Allentown, Pa. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 1998 from Gettysburg College.

Replacing Shott is Kristen Vanderpool, 24. Although she interned with Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Santorum in 2002, Vanderpool did not come on full time with Santorum until January 2003, when she was hired as a staff assistant.

She has since worked her way up the office food chain, serving as assistant to the chief of staff and press assistant before her most recent promotion to deputy press secretary.

In her new position, Vanderpool will handle most of the scheduling for the Senator’s media appearances. She will also draft video greetings and TelePrompTer statements, and will work on Web site development.

A native of Bloomsburg, Pa., Vanderpool earned a bachelor’s in broadcast journalism with two minors in history and political science from Pennsylvania State University in 2002.

Maureen Ryan is taking over Vanderpool’s post as press assistant. Another Santorum intern, Ryan first worked for the Senator in 2003. She was then hired in May 2003 as a staff assistant before being promoted to assistant to the chief of staff.

The 23-year-old is a native of Danville, Pa. She received a bachelor’s in communications and English from Duquesne University in the spring of 2003.

Liz Chapman, 24, is the final promotion in the Senator’s office. She has been promoted to writer, and previously served Santorum as a staff assistant, assistant to the chief of staff, and most recently as a legislative correspondent.

Chapman comes to Washington via Havertown, Pa. She graduated from Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., in 2002 with a degree in political science and communications and an emphasis on journalism.

In a press release, Santorum said that he is “pleased to have four intelligent and enthusiastic Pennsylvania natives serving in” his Washington, D.C., press office. They “bring diverse communications experiences to the office and they will make a great press team.”

More Keystone State Changes. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) hired two new employees in August, while Congress was out of session.

Jim Frank, 37, will serve as district director in the Holidaysburg office. Frank has spent the past 14 years working at WTAJ, in Altoona, Pa. He worked in a number of different capacities at the CBS affiliate and has served as news director of the station for the past four years.

Frank’s duties as district director will include coordinating appropriations and grant requests, as well as general staff management in the four district offices. He will also serve as a liaison to the Representative’s constituents.

A native of Altoona, Frank graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1990 with a degree in broadcast journalism. He still resides in Altoona and has a wife and two children.

In a statement, Shuster said that Frank is a “great fit for this position because he is a local. He grew up in Altoona, was educated in Pennsylvania and because of this, he can relate to the needs of our district.”

Tory Mazzola, 24, worked in the office of Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) as deputy press secretary for two years before joining Shuster’s office.

Although he currently resides in Washington, D.C., Mazzola originally hails from Wakefield, Mass. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2002 with degrees in political science and economics. He is currently working on an international strategic studies graduate degree from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.