New House T&I committee chairman lines up staff

Shushter

   Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., who was selected Wednesday to be the next House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman, announced the appointment of key senior staff to lead the committee. 
   Christopher Bertram will become the committee’s chief of staff. This will be Bertram’s third tour on Capitol Hill. He was the staff director of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee from 1996 to 2001. Between 2003 and 2009, he held the position of staff director of both the Senate Aviation and Surface Subcommittees. Bertram has also served as the chief financial officer of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and in a number of positions at the Office of Management and Budget. He currently is the CFO of the U.S. Transportation Department.
   Stephen Martinko will be appointed deputy chief of staff. He is a veteran Shuster aide with more than a decade of experience on Capitol Hill. He is currently chief of staff in Shuster’s personal office and has previously served as the congressman’s deputy chief of staff and legislative director.
   Jennifer Hall will continue in her position as general counsel to the committee. She has been with the committee since 2006. She previously served as counsel to the Highways and Transit Subcommittee and counsel to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management. Hall has also been a counsel with the House Government Reform Committee and worked at Federal Emergency Management Agency.
   Lastly, Shuster appointed Jim Tymon as senior advisor to the chairman and will continue as the staff director of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee. He is a 10-year veteran of the committee, which he joined in 2002 after working at the OMB.