Amber Cottle '96 Named Senate Finance Staff Director

From TheHill.com:

The year-end staff shuffle continued on Thursday with the Senate Finance Committee announcing that Capitol Hill veteran will head up the panel's policy operation.
Amber Cottle, who has spent five years on the panel, has been tapped as the new Democratic staff director where she will lead the committee’s day-to-day operations and serve as the chief strategist for long-term policy plans as the panel undertakes a tax code overhaul next year.
"She is well respected in the business, labor, policy and academic communities and is known for her leadership and dedication," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said in a statement.
"She is also an expert negotiator, skills which will prove vital in my efforts to reform the nation’s tax system."
Cottle is moving up from the position of the committee’s chief international trade counsel.
"Amber is a problem solver who works across party lines to get results. She is exactly the type of person I want leading my team for years to come," Baucus said.
Cottle replaces Russ Sullivan, who is leaving the Senate after an 18-year career to return to the private sector and spend more time with the 18 young people whom he has fostered.
"He has been a tremendous asset and will be missed,” Baucus said.
Prior to her work in the Senate, Cottle spent a decade working on trade issues, including in the Office of U.S. Trade Representative.
"The Finance Committee staff is second to none and I am excited to have the opportunity to lead this team of talented and dedicated public servants," Cottle said.
"I look forward to working with Chairman Baucus and assisting in his efforts to reform the tax code, create jobs in Montana and across the country, boost the economy and put America back on track."