Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) today announced 22 additions and changes to his staff over the last year, as well as 14 of his staff appointed to serve in the Trump Administration.
“I’m pleased to welcome several additions to my staff and announce well-deserved promotions for others,” said Senator Hagerty. “I’m confident that my exceptional team will soar to even greater heights with new expertise and experience. At the same time, I’m deeply proud of my close advisors and alumni who have been appointed to serve in the Trump Administration. I look forward to all we will accomplish in the coming years together.”
Lucas Da Pieve is now serving as Legislative Director. Da Pieve has served as the Deputy Legislative Director and Projects Manager, handling all budgetary and appropriations matters for Senator Hagerty, since 2021. Previously, he was the Director of Digital Response in the Office of Presidential Correspondence during the first Trump Administration and as Deputy Legislative Director and Projects Manager for Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN). He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Da Pieve is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and his family has lived in Blount County since 2008.
Nate Kinard will serve as General Counsel to Senator Hagerty, and advise the Senator regarding judicial nominations, constitutional matters, and artificial intelligence. Previously, Kinard was a shareholder at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, specializing in business litigation and appeals. Kinard received his law degree summa cum laude from William & Mary Law School. A native of Chattanooga, Kinard majored in Political Science and Piano Performance at Vanderbilt University.
Sloan McDonagh is now serving as Policy Advisor and Senior Counsel in Senator Hagerty’s Washington, DC office. McDonagh previously served as Senior Counsel to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He is a graduate of Hillsdale College and Emory University School of Law.
Christy Charbonnet is now serving as Scheduler for Senator Hagerty’s Washington, DC office. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston in Systems Engineering and has been with the Senator since the fall of 2023.
Emma Morris will serve as Deputy Director of Operations and Scheduling for Hagerty. Morris previously served as the Senator’s Deputy Scheduler. She graduated from Auburn University with a B.A. in Political Science. She is originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
John DiGravio is now serving as Legislative Assistant to Senator Hagerty, advising him on the Banking Committee portfolio. He previously served as Legislative Aide to the Senator and as an aide to the Senate Banking Committee. DiGravio holds a B.A. from Williams College and was raised in Austin, Texas.
Luke Harris has been named Legislative Assistant to Hagerty assisting in the Agriculture, Energy, and Transportation portfolio. Harris is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University where he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
JT Isaacs has been named Legislative Assistant to manage all general budget and appropriations matters for Hagerty. He also manages the Healthcare, Education, Labor, Pensions, and Veterans’ Affairs portfolio. He previously served as Legislative Aide for Hagerty. Isaacs received a Bachelor of Science in Economics degree from the University of Kentucky.
Matthew Venoit will serve as Policy Advisor to Senator Hagerty. Prior to the Senate, Venoit worked at Goldman Sachs in both New York and Hong Kong. He holds a B.S. from Penn State University and graduate degrees from KU Leuven and Georgetown University.
Jillian Cantrell is now serving as Legislative Aide to Hagerty assisting in the Healthcare, Education, Labor, Pensions, and Veterans’ Affairs portfolio. Cantrell previously served as Legislative Correspondent and Staff Assistant. She is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, where she received Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Biology and Politics. She is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Cole Bornefeld is now serving as a Legislative Aide to Hagerty, assisting in the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Rules portfolio. Bornefeld previously served as a Legislative Correspondent in Hagerty’s Office. He graduated from Western Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and public relations. He is a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Melissa Stooksbury has been serving as Deputy State Director since February 2024 based in the Nashville, Tennessee office. Prior to this role, she served in the office of Congressman Tom Cole, most recently as Communications Director. Stooksbury was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee and graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
Ethan Finley now serves as a Legislative Correspondent to Senator Hagerty within the Banking Committee Portfolio. Finley previously worked as a field organizer for Tim Sheehy’s 2024 Senate Campaign. Before that, he worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Evercore. Finley also has experience as an analyst in private equity and wealth management. He graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in Financial Economics.
Zach Brooks currently serves as the Southeast Tennessee Field Representative for Senator Hagerty, a role he has held since April 2024. Before his tenure with Senator Hagerty’s office, Brooks was the Investor Development Director at the Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber of Commerce, focusing on membership growth and community engagement. Born and raised in Cleveland, Tennessee, Brooks graduated from Cleveland High School in 2010. He pursued higher education at Lee University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 2014 and a Master of Business Administration in 2019.
Gabby Gardner serves as the Nashville Field Representative for Senator Hagerty, where she works closely with community leaders, elected officials, and industry stakeholders across Middle Tennessee. Prior to this role, she served as a Clerk in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Gardner is a proud graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
Ford Hawkins is now serving as the Jackson, Tennessee Field Representative. He previously served with the Young Republicans before joining Olin/Winchester Ammunition, where he worked as a ballistician before joining Hagerty’s office. Hawkins is a West Tennessee native, and he attended the University of Mississippi, holding a bachelor’s degree in History.
Jonathan White is now serving as the West Tennessee Field Representative. After graduating high school, White served four years active in the U.S. Navy before graduating with his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Mississippi. He has also worked for the American Legion and interned for the Northern District of Mississippi U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Jake Netterville is now serving as Personal Aide to Senator Hagerty in the Washington, DC office. Netterville recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Louisiana State University and is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Prior to joining Senator Hagerty’s office, Netterville worked as a federal analyst at The Picard Group.
Cecilia Ann Hutton is now serving as a Staff Assistant in Senator Hagerty’s Washington, DC office. She recently graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History.
Steven Behringer is now serving as a DoD fellow for Senator Hagerty. Behringer is an active-duty Marine who is fluent in both Mandarin and Korean, and has extensive experience evaluating military and cyber threats in the INDOPACOM region. He is a native of Baltimore, Maryland.
Blake McMahon is now serving as a National Security Fellow for Senator Hagerty. McMahon has held a variety of Executive Branch roles related to aerospace, defense, and intelligence issues. He received a PhD from the University of California, San Diego and a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State.
James Santos is serving as a National Security Fellow. Santos comes from the Office of Director of National Intelligence, where he worked on a range of national security issues, covering policy development and program management matters. He graduated from Michigan State University, and holds a Master’s degree in Accounting. He was born in Manila, Philippines and hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Serving in the Trump Administration
Adam Telle is nominated to lead the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. Telle has served as Hagerty’s Chief of Staff over the last four years and will continue to serve Hagerty while his nomination is pending before the Senate. Telle served during the first Trump Administration as the White House’s Senate lead in its Office of Legislative Affairs. Prior to that role, Telle served as the top staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Homeland Security and as the top policy advisor to the late Senator Thad Cochran. Telle holds degrees in computer science and journalism from Mississippi State University.
Luke Pettit is nominated to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions. Pettit has served as Senator Hagerty’s Senior Policy Advisor and will continue to serve Hagerty while his nomination is pending before the Senate. Previously, he worked at the Senate Banking Committee, Bridgewater Associates, and the Federal Reserve. Luke holds a B.A from the University of Pennsylvania, and graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and Johns Hopkins University.
Daniel Zimmerman has been nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. Zimmerman currently serves in a Congressional Executive Fellowship in the office of Senator Hagerty and will continue to serve Hagerty while his nomination is pending before the Senate. He previously has held many roles in the agency realm, and holds both a bachelor’s degree from Asbury University and a master’s degree from the University of Kentucky.
Julia Hahn is serving as the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Department for the Office of Public Affairs. Hahn joins the Department after serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications for Senator Hagerty. Prior to the Senate, Hahn served in the first Trump White House over all four years, most recently as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy White House Communications Director. Before that, she served as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Rapid Response and Surrogate Operations. Hahn has also worked in media as the Executive Producer of The Laura Ingraham Show and a reporter at Breitbart News. She also worked on Capitol Hill as Press Secretary to former Congressman Dave Brat. Hahn graduated from the University of Chicago with a BA in Philosophy.
Clark Milner is serving as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor for Policy, focusing primarily on domestic policy. Milner formerly served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Chief Counsel to Senator Bill Hagerty. Milner previously served as Deputy Counsel to Governor Bill Lee.
Natalie McIntyre currently serves a Special Assistant to the President for the Office of Legislative Affairs where she handles the Healthcare, Education, Labor, Banking, and Agriculture portfolio. Previously, she was Senator Hagerty’s Legislative Director overseeing the legislative team and managing the Health, Education, Labor, Pension, and Veterans portfolio. Prior to her role in Hagerty’s office, she was part of the legislative office at OMB where she managed the Senate offices. She also served as a Senior Policy Advisor and White House liaison at ONDCP.
Nels Nordquist is serving as Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Policy and DD of NEC.Nordquist was Senior Fellow for Economic Policy in the office of Senator Hagerty. From October 2022 through January 2025, he served as Staff Director for the National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee. From 2018-2021, Nordquist worked in the National Security Council and National Economic Council, first as Director for Trade & Investment and later as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Economic Policy. Nordquist graduated from Stanford and earned an MBA from the University of Virginia.
Joel Rayburn is the Trump Administration’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. He is a historian, former diplomat, and retired military officer who previously served as special advisor for Middle East affairs in the office of Senator Hagerty. Rayburn is currently a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. In the first Trump Administration, he served as a senior director on the National Security Council staff and, from July 2018 to January 2021, as the U.S. special envoy for Syria. Before joining the State Department, Rayburn served 26 years as a US Army officer and co-authored the Army’s official history of the Iraq War. He holds an MA in history from Texas A&M University and an MS in strategic studies from the National War College.
Kevin Kim is the State Department’s China Coordinator and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Taiwan. Prior to the State Department, Kim worked as a national security fellow for Senator Hagerty. Kim was also the Senior Advisor to the Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea as part of the U.S. delegation to the 2020 U.S.-Russia arms control negotiations. From 2018 to 2020, he served as the Chief of Staff to the Special Representative for North Korea and the Deputy Secretary of state Stephen Biegun and participated in various rounds of U.S.-DPRK nuclear negotiations. Kim received a BA from the Johns Hopkins University, MA from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
Walton Stivender Mears has taken on a new role as scheduler for Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner. Mears joined HUD last month after serving as Director of Scheduling for Senator Hagerty. She previously handled scheduling and assisted the chief of staff for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and as a Staff Assistant for Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL). Mears is an Auburn University graduate from Birmingham, Alabama.
J. Cal Mitchell is serving as the Special Assistant at the U.S. Department of Treasury. He joins the Treasury Department after serving as Personal Aide to Senator Hagerty. Mitchell is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College.
Nick Checker, a national security fellow for Senator Hagerty in 2023, currently serves as Deputy Executive Secretary on the National Security Council. In that role, Checker provides senior-level review of NSC products for substance, policy relevance, and appropriateness for the President and senior White House officials. Checker has spent the last decade at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a military analyst covering conflicts in the greater Middle East. Most recently, Checker worked in CIA’s office of Congressional Affairs, where he supported the confirmation process for Director John Ratcliffe. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University.
Nicholas Elliot is the Acting Director of the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Elliot serves as the chief advisor to the CFTC Chairman on matters before the U.S. Congress and as the Commission’s official liaison with Congressional members, federal agencies, and the Administration. Previously, Elliot spent nearly four years working for Senator Hagerty on the Senator’s financial services and banking portfolio, where he advanced the Senator’s work on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Elliot is a graduate of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business where he received a BS in Business Administration with a major in Finance and a minor in Mandarin.
Taylor Asher serves as Chief Policy Advisor of the SEC’s Crypto Task Force and is a Senior Policy Advisor to SEC Acting Chairman Mark Uyeda. From April 2023 to January 2025, Asher served as Policy Advisor and Confidential Assistant to Commissioner Uyeda. Prior to his time at the SEC, Asher was Personal Aide to Senator Hagerty. His tenure in public service began with Congresswoman Julia Letlow’s Office, where he served as Staff Assistant and Intern Manager. Asher is currently pursuing a Master of Economics at George Mason University. He holds a Master of Finance with an Energy Specialization as well as a Bachelor of Science in Management from Tulane University. He is originally from Nashville, Tennessee.