Senator James Lankford (R-OK) announced two senior staff changes; Michelle Altman has been promoted to Chief of Staff and Sarah Seitz has been promoted to Legislative Director. In December, President Trump nominated Retired Rear Admiral Gregory Slavonic to be the Assistant Secretary of the Navy after serving for four years as Lankford’s Chief of Staff.
“Michelle Altman and Sarah Seitz are highly qualified for these tasks, and I am confident they will serve the people of Oklahoma very well,” said Lankford. “Michelle has a long history of leadership in Oklahoma public service, and Sarah has a wealth of knowledge and talent for getting things done in Washington, DC. I could not be more excited about these promotions.”
For the last seven years, Altman has worked with Lankford, rising to Legislative Director and Deputy Chief of Staff while he was a US Representative for the 5th Congressional District of Oklahoma. Before joining Lankford’s staff, she worked for then-Congresswoman Mary Fallin starting in 2007. Altman graduated from Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania.
Seitz joined Lankford’s office as Legislative Counsel in January 2015 when he began his term in the US Senate. Before that, she worked in the office of US Representative Randy Forbes for six years. From 2007-2009, Seitz worked for a religious liberty law firm. Seitz received an undergraduate degree from Penn State University and a Juris Doctor from Liberty University School of Law.