U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has hired three former members of the late Congressman Don Young’s staff: Kevin Swanson, Michael Songer, and Lauren Noland.
Kevin Swanson, former staffer to Democrat Sen. John Kerry, will be a legislative assistant in the personal office, where he will handle transportation, telecommunications, and financial services. He recently worked as a legislative assistant for Congressman Young, handling his transportation and infrastructure portfolio. He holds a BA degree in political science from Oberlin College. Swanson also previously worked for Democrat Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts. (Clarification, Murkowski’s office points out that Swanson was an unpaid intern for Sen. Kerry in 2009 and an unpaid intern for Sen. Markey in 2010.)
Michael Songer, former staffer to Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, will be staffing the Committee on Indian Affairs, where Murkowski serves as vice chairman. He was a senior legislative aide to Young, and served in the U.S. Air Force as a Security Forces member, which included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He has a MA in history from Arizona State University and is pursuing an aerospace and defense advanced degree from the University of Tennessee.
Lauren Noland was hired as a staff assistant in the personal office. She previously worked as a legislative correspondent for Congressman Young. Noland is a U.S. Army veteran, military spouse, and mother of five from Chugiak.
