Event Rewind: ‘Skills, Knowledge, and Relationships: Alumni Staffers Helping Current Staffers’
Skills, Knowledge, and Relationships: Alumni Staffers Helping Current Staffers, presented by Dome and the United States Capitol Historical Society, was a one-of-a-kind event for congressional staffers, held on October 10. Modeled on ‘speed-mentoring’ as developed by the Harvard Club of San Francisco, the event had a non-traditional format with 90 minutes of fast-moving content, followed by 90 minutes of a no-agenda reception. More than 120 attendees—40% being staffers—were treated to great food, the finest refreshments, and memorable first-person narratives from the star alumni staffers of members like Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Trent Lott, and Christopher Dodd.
Congressional staffers from Legislative Correspondents, Assistants, and Directors, to Policy Counsels, Digital Directors and Chiefs of Staff, gathered on a sunny Thursday afternoon in the West Conference Room of the 7th Floor at 700 Pennsylvania Ave, SE.
The event was co-sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center, the LBJ School at the University of Texas, Pillars of Strength, the University of Maryland Global Campus, and the newly formed bipartisan staff group Women in Congress.
Here’s some key advice summed-up excellently by a couple of our panelists:
“What I would advise anyone getting started in public service is to think of what you want other people to say about you. That will focus you on hopefully being a nice person, being supportive of your colleagues, and doing the best possible job you can do. That is called reputation, which is the currency of Washington, DC.” - Tamera Luzzatto, Senior Vice President of Pew Charitable Trusts; former Chief of Staff to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
“In today’s age we’re so used to instant gratification but it’s important to put your time in, identifying what needs to be done, jumping in where it’s needed—it will pay off dividends in the long-term of your career.” - Jeff Berkowitz, Founder & CEO of Delve LLC; former manager of messaging/research operations for the George W. Bush White House
Panelists included David Hoppe, Jane Campbell, Jennifer DeCasper,Tamera Luzzatto, William Hoagland, Shalla Ross, Justin Slaughter, Alex Sternhell, Marina Orcutt, and Jeff Berkowitz. Panels were moderarted by General Tim White, Bill Shute, and Sam Dryzmala.
Following the panel, guests were invited to a rooftop reception where panelists mixed with staffers and provided further insight. Wine and hors d’oeuvres were in abundance and guests enjoyed the amazing view as the sun set on a wonderful evening of learning skills, gaining knowledge, and building relationships.
See photos from the event below and check out the Facebook album here for more.