Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) is watching some familiar faces move up the ladder after announcing a flurry of promotions in his Washington, D.C., office.

Pombo’s new legislative director, Josh Rolph, joined the office in 2004 as a legislative assistant. Before coming to Pombo’s staff, he served as legislative correspondent to another member of the California delegation, Rep. John Doolittle (R). Rolph, originally from Philadelphia, holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Utah.

Lucas Frances, who served in 2001 as Pombo’s legislative correspondent, returns as a senior legislative assistant. Between these assignments, Frances has been a clerk on the Resources subcommittee on energy and mineral resources and an assistant to the government relations director for the National Laboratories, managed by the University of California. A native of Stockton, Calif., Frances earned a degree in psychology from California State University at Chico.

A legislative correspondent in Pombo’s office since 2003, Aaron Cutler has been promoted to legislative assistant. Cutler, a native of Livermore, Calif., received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Pombo’s new legislative correspondent is Mike DeFilippis, who has served since 2003 as staff assistant. Hailing from Highland Park, Ill., DeFilippis majored in international affairs and political science while attending Marquette University.

Formerly a staff assistant for the House Resources Committee, chaired by Pombo, Jon Haubert will now serve as staff assistant to the Congressman. A native of Carlsbad, Calif., Haubert is a graduate of the University of California

at Santa Barbara.

Another new staff assistant, Sarah Lapachet, joined Pombo’s Washington, D.C., staff after working as a field representative in his Stockton, Calif., district office. Lapachet hails from Lodi, Calif., and holds a bachelor’s in business administration from San Diego State University.

Reynolds Hires Two. Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.) has tapped Kirk Fordham as his new chief of staff and named L.D. Platt to serve as communications director.

“I am excited to have both Kirk and L.D. joining my staff,” Reynolds said in a statement. “They both bring a lot of experience and knowledge to my office. I look forward to working closely with them to continue serving the citizens of [New York’s] 26th District.”

Most recently, Fordham worked for the DCI Group, a public and governmental affairs group. But Fordham has put his talents to work for several Members of Congress throughout his 18 years in politics and communications. Before joining the DCI Group, he served as finance director for Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) as he campaigned for his seat in 2004. With Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), Fordham served as chief of staff and campaign manager, and with then-Rep. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), he took turns working as a legislative director and deputy chief of staff.

Fordham is a native of Rochester, N.Y., and a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park.

“Kirk is superbly qualified to serve as my chief of staff, and hailing from the Western New York area, understands the issues concerning the 26th Congressional district,” Reynolds said.

Fordham’s predecessor, Mike Brady, moves on to become the director of strategic communications for the NRCC.

Platt, a graduate of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., most recently served as the coalitions and media coordinator for the House Budget Committee majority staff. He has also worked in the campaign and communications divisions of the National Republican Congressional Committee and volunteered for several political campaigns in Northern Virginia.