Press Releases
Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Scott Peters (CA-50) announced his full staff in his Washington, D.C. and San Diego offices. A total of 17 staff members help run Peters’ legislative, communications, and constituent outreach operations in the Capitol and the 50th district. Team Peters is working a hybrid in-person and work-from-home schedule and will soon open a satellite office in San Marcos for constituents in the northern portion of California’s 50th congressional district.
Below is a full list of his staff for 2023:
San Diego District office:
MaryAnne Pintar, Chief of Staff: MaryAnne Pintar will continue to run San Diego operations and outreach, as well as press, communications, and political strategy for both offices. Pintar began working with Peters in 2008, was his last Chief of Staff when he was San Diego City Council President, was Deputy Campaign Manager for his 2012 congressional campaign, and has overseen all his re-elects. She was the first Latina Chief of Staff to a San Diego Mayor in the 1990s and later ran her own public affairs consulting business. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for MANA de San Diego and is the Vice-Chair of the San Diego County Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board. Pintar has Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees from San Diego State University.
Jason Bercovitch, District Director: Jason Bercovitch began working for Rep. Peters in 2013 and currently oversees all district office operations. Bercovitch manages a portfolio focused on foreign affairs, financial services, and outreach to local small businesses and faith-based communities. Prior to joining Peters’ office, he was an intern for former Congresswoman Susan Davis while working as a financial advisor and loan officer at various local financial institutions. Bercovitch has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics and a minor in Political Science from the UC Riverside. Bercovitch spent most of his childhood in Puerto Rico and is a fluent Spanish speaker.
Cesar Solis, Director of Constituent Services: Cesar Solis oversees all constituent services in the District office as well as the office internship program. He was born and raised in East County San Diego and graduated from UC San Diego in 2018 with a B.A. in Political Science, International Relations. Cesar was an intern in the District Office in 2017 and was hired full-time in 2018. Cesar handles the environment and infrastructure legislative portfolio and is the community representative for the Balboa Park Communities. Cesar is Lady Gaga's biggest fan.
Daniela Contreras, Press Secretary: Daniela Contreras serves as Rep. Peters’ San Diego-based press secretary and handles local media outreach. She was raised in Chula Vista and began her career in broadcast journalism for English and Spanish-language local news. Her passion for writing, politics and government led to her earning a B.A. in Journalism and Political Science, with a minor in French, from San Diego State University. She transitioned from news to communications in May 2020 when she was hired to work for Peters. She speaks fluent Spanish and French. In her free time, Daniela enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time outdoors with her two dogs.
Cairo Williams, Scheduler/Field Representative: Cairo Williams began working with the Office of Congressman Scott Peters in August of 2021. She oversees the Congressman’s day-to-day schedule in the district and handles education, women’s rights, civil rights, labor and postal issues for the office. Cairo graduated from the UC Santa Barbara in 2020 with a degree in Sociology, emphasizing in Race & Ethnicity. In addition to her full-time role with the Congressman’s office, Cairo works part-time as a Program Facilitator for the Aaron Price Fellows Program, a local non-profit organization dedicated to serving diverse and highly motivated San Diego public high school students.
Rachel Dugan, Field Representative: Rachel Dugan grew up in East County San Diego and graduated from Sonoma State University. She began her time with Team Peters in 2022 and covers Social Security, seniors and health care. Before working for Congressman Peters, Rachel did a year of AmeriCorps VISTA, completed an internship in Senator Jon Tester’s office, and was a research assistant for Sharp Healthcare. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, riding her bike, and listening to true crime podcasts.
Samantha Keosoukanh, Military and Defense Field Representative/Wounded Warrior Fellow: Samantha “Keo” Keosoukanh is a Veteran and served four years enlisted in the US Marine Corps, which included a deployment to the Middle East in support of SPMAGTF-CR-CC(Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command), during the Afghan-Evac Operations. After getting honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, Keo has continued pursuing her bachelor’s degree in business management at Golden Gate University. She has been with the office since May of 2022, and handles the Military, Veteran’s, and Defense portfolio. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, exploring the outdoors, and trying new restaurants in San Diego.
Priscilla Huang, AAPI Field Representative: Priscilla Huang, a California native, began as an intern for the Congressman Peters’ office in January 2020 before returning as a full-time staff member in May 2022. Huang helps manage the office’s Asia Pacific Foreign affairs, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community outreach, animals, housing/homelessness, gun violence prevention, and census portfolios. She also manages the annual Congressional App Challenge in the office. Huang has a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and a minor in History from George Washington University and a Master of Arts in Communication Management from the University of Southern California. Huang is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese.
Washington, D.C. office:
Daniel Zawitoski, D.C. Chief of Staff: Daniel Zawitoski continues to manage all D.C. operations, legislative affairs, and strategy. Zawitoski is an original member of Team Peters as the Director of Research for Peters’ first congressional campaign in 2012. Prior to taking over as D.C. Chief of Staff, he served as Peters’ Legislative Correspondent, a Legislative Assistant, and as Legislative Director. Zawitoski has a Bachelor of Arts in History from Colby College and a Master of Arts in Political Science from San Diego State University.
Baillee Brown, Legislative Director: Baillee Brown has served as Peters’ Legislative Director since 2021. She worked for Peters as a scheduler and legislative assistant prior to becoming Legislative Director. Her current policy portfolio primarily focuses on economic issues, including budget, tax, trade, banking, housing, transportation & infrastructure, and technology. In this role, she manages his legislative team and executes his legislative strategy and priorities. Originally from Arizona, she studied Politics at Occidental College in Los Angeles.
Paul Iskajyan, Press Secretary: Paul Iskajyan joined the office in March 2023. Before joining the team, he worked for former Representatives Carolyn Maloney (NY-12) and Katie Hill (CA-25) in various communications roles. Originally from Whittier California, Paul studied Political Science with an emphasis on American Politics at the University of California, Berkeley.
Tom Erb, Climate Policy Director: Tom Erb grew up in Poway, California. He has a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Analysis from Pomona College and a master’s of professional studies in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University. Before joining the office, he worked at the World Bank and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
Adam Taylor, Military Legislative Assistant: Adam Taylor joined the team in May 2021 and manages the defense, foreign relations, homeland security, and veterans’ affairs portfolio for the office. He previously worked as a HillVets Fellow in the Office of Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06) and served as an officer in the Marine Corps for four years. Adam received his Bachelor of Arts in Government and Economics from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA in 2014 and his Master of Arts in International Relations from American University’s School of International Service in Washington, D.C. in 2020. He is currently a student in the U.S. Naval War College’s Fleet Seminar Program.
Dillon Cooke, Health Legislative Assistant: Originally from San Diego, Dillon holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Political Science from the University of California, San Diego along with a Master’s in Public Administration and a concentration in Health Policy from American University. Dillon joined Team Peters at the beginning of 2021 as the Legislative Correspondent before becoming the Health Legislative Assistant at the beginning of 2022.
Jackie Sobol, Scheduler/Legislative Aide: Jackie Sobol has been working for Peters since May 2022 as his Scheduler/Legislative Aide. Jackie handles Peters’ schedule while he is in Washington, DC. She also covers education, childcare, arts, and women’s issues. Jackie graduated from the University of Michigan in 2020, where she studied Political Science, Women’s Studies, and Sociology.
Sophia Garcia, Legislative Correspondent: Sophia Garcia started working for Representative Peters in May 2022. Sophia handles constituent mail operations in the office as well as postal and census legislative issues. Sophia graduated from American University in 2019 with a B.A. in Political Science, concentration in Comparative Politics. She speaks fluent Spanish.
Jackie Duran, Staff Assistant: Jackie Duran, a California native, started as an intern in Peters’ Washington, D.C. office in 2022. Jackie handles the tour and flag requests the office receives and runs the Washington, D.C. internship program. Duran has a Bachelor of the Arts in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations from University of California, San Diego.