Serving others has been part of Matt Isenhower’s life since he was a boy.

From being in Boy Scouts with his father to his time in the U.S. Navy, to running for state Legislature, the 35-year-old Redmond resident has made it his life’s mission to help others.

This week, Isenhower will be bringing his passion to serve to the First Congressional District as he will be joining Rep. Suzan DelBene’s office as the new district director. He starts on Friday.

As district director, Isenhower will be in charge of DelBene’s local offices within the district — which includes Redmond — in Bothell and Mount Vernon. His duties will include consulting services for immigration, veterans and other issues. He will also oversee outreach efforts and casework throughout the district.

“Frankly, this is a great opportunity,” Isenhower told the Reporter about his new job.

He said DelBene’s chief of staff approached him about the position in mid-April and it took a few weeks to get everything figured out for him to join the office.

“I’m very excited,” Isenhower said.

The feeling is mutual.

“I’m excited to have him join us,” DelBene told the Reporter.

She said Isenhower brings incredible experience from both his work in the military as well as the private sector.

Isenhower grew up in the First Congressional District — which spans King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties — graduating from Redmond High School before earning a bachelor of science degree from the United States Naval Academy. He served as a naval officer, deployed off the coast of Somalia and South America. Isenhower followed his time in the U.S. Navy by earning his master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University.

“Matt brings invaluable experience through his military service and business skills, and like me, he is committed to working toward bipartisan, commonsense solutions that help our students, workers, families and seniors,” DelBene said in a press release. “He has shown a deep dedication to public service and I’m delighted he will be part of our team working with us to ensure Washington’s First District remains the best place to live.”

A large part of Isenhower’s job will be helping people within the district whenever they encounter problems with the federal government.

One example of this would be working with returning veterans and helping them with their Veteran Affairs (VA) benefits. Isenhower has previously served on the King County Veterans Program Advisory Board and he has encountered a number of issues veterans face and knows how to ensure they get what they have earned. In addition, Isenhower said he has personal experience as he used the G.I. Bill after returning from serving overseas to go to graduate school. He said it was an eye-opening experience filling everything out and he can use his experience to help others.

Isenhower said he is looking forward to his next position in public service — especially as he will be serving his hometown.

“I’m excited about this opportunity to work for Congresswoman DelBene,” Isenhower said in a press release. “Washington’s First District is my home and I look forward to meeting constituents and fighting passionately for their needs.”

For Isenhower, serving others is something he has learned from his family. Several members have served in the military and he said when he was 12, he watched an older cousin graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Isenhower said this really motivated him to serve, though he ended up in a different branch of the military.

While Isenhower will be overseeing DelBene’s two local offices, a big part of his job is outreach and he is excited to have the opportunity to travel throughout the First District counties.

“I’ll get to be all over the district,” he said, adding that this includes a number of places he hasn’t visited yet.

Isenhower, his wife and their two young children make their home in Redmond. Prior to accepting the district director position, Isenhower ran for the State Senate in the 45th Legislative District last November, losing to Sen. Andy Hill (R-Redmond), and worked for Amazon.com.