State Representative Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, the Republican nominee for speaker of the Alabama House, announced on Tuesday the individuals who will serve as key members of his office staff if he is formally elected to lead the body during an organizational session in January.
Because Republicans hold a 77-member supermajority in the Alabama House, Ledbetter’s selection as the GOP speaker nominee is considered by many to be tantamount to election.
“Running the day-to-day operations of the speaker’s office effectively is key to ensuring that the House remains on track and the members remain informed,” Ledbetter said. “Each of these men and women have proven themselves to be able administrators in the past, and I know that they will work hard to serve the members of the House on both sides of the aisle as well as the taxpayers across Alabama.”
Jade Wagner, a DeKalb County native who currently resides in Montgomery, will serve as Ledbetter’s deputy chief of staff. Since 2017, she was employed by Ledbetter in the office of the House majority leader and held the title of policy director.
Andrew Westcott of Pike Road will continue to serve as general counsel and policy director in the speaker’s office, a post he has held since 2015. Prior to joining the speaker’s staff, Westcott was employed by the Alabama Law Institute.
Rob Green, a Jasper native who previously served as policy analyst under Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, will hold the title of director of communications and external affairs in Ledbetter’s office. Green recently returned from a leave of absence after working with the campaign team that successfully maintained the Republican supermajority in the Alabama House.
Daisy Goza of Millbrook will serve as Ledbetter’s executive assistant and scheduler, which is the same role she filled during his service as House majority leader, and Holley Knowles of Montgomery will remain on staff as the speaker’s constituent services specialist. Ledbetter previously announced that Mark M. Tuggle, a former state representative from Alexander City, will continue to serve as chief of staff in the speaker’s office.
