Congressman-elect Kai Kahele has announced his selection for chief of staff, who has 10 years of policy experience at Capitol Hill and Washington, D.C., and, like Kahele, has ties to Hilo.

Christy Wagner is currently acting chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, but come Jan. 3, she will fill that role for Kahele, who announced the decision today.

“I am honored to have been selected to serve as Congressman-elect Kahele’s Chief of Staff and look forward to the opportunity to serve my home state with dignity, pride and aloha,” Wagner said in a statement.

Wagner has served as a legislative director, senior defense and foreign policy advisor, special assistant for Asian & Pacific Security Affairs at the Pentagon and military legislative assistant. She also graduated from Waiakea High School and is the daughter of Bob Wagner, a former head football coach at University of Hawaii.

Kahele was born and raised in Hilo.

“Christy brings years of public policy, strategic planning and national defense experience to her new position,” Kahele said in a statement. “As I begin my inaugural term in the 117th Congress, I could not be more excited to have Christy take on this new role and put her leadership skills to work for the people of Hawaii. I’m confident that her Hawaii roots and over 10 years of Capitol Hill and Washington, D.C., policy experience make her the perfect person to help guide our office to serve Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District with distinction.”

Kahele will continue recruiting for key positions on his congressional staff in Washington and in his district office, and applicants can apply for those positions at kaikahele.com.

He was elected to Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District, which represents rural and suburban Oahu as well as Maui County, Hawaii County and Kauai County.