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This study group is part guidance counseling, and part Actor’s Studio meets Capitol Hill. Each week a prominent figure with deep Capitol Hill and political roots will discuss and answer questions such as:

• What was your first job on Capitol Hill and how did you get it?
• Did you have mentors, campaign or internship experience?
• How were you able to leverage it into a promising career?
• What does a typical day consist of?
• What are the rewards and drawbacks of public service?
• What skills helped you succeed?
• What skill sets and personality traits do you look for when hiring staff?
• What are your top three tips for someone looking to succeed?

This study group promises to be an entertaining and informational look inside the walls of the Capitol. It will demonstrate that some of the most powerful people are behind the spotlight, not in it.

September 28 -- Session One

From Kansas to Capitol Hill to the White House: A real life example of how one person made it to the senior-most ranks of political staff. This session will also provide an overview of the entire semester and solicit student comments on what information would be most helpful as they plan for the future.

Speaker: Christina Martin

October 5 -- Session Two

Legislative Director/Policy Director: One of the most commonly held positions in government and the one that can most transform a staffer who performs with passion and intelligence. After a solid run on Capitol Hill or in a campaign, policy staffers are often presented with the widest range of future career options: Ascend the political career ladder, run for office, or lobby.

Speaker: Jack Howard

Jack Howard is the only person in Washington who has served as a senior strategic and policy advisor to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader and as a key member of President Bush’s White House staff. During his 25 year career in legislative policy development, he has worked for Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, Speakers of the House Dennis Hastert and Newt Gingrich, and former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott.

October 12 – Session Three

Press Secretary, Political or Official: This job can be described in one word – Incoming!

Speaker: Amy Call Communications Director to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist

Amy Call was named Communications Director for the Majority Leader at the beginning of 2006. Prior to 2006, she served as his Deputy Communications Director since 2005 and his press secretary from 2003-05. Previously she worked in the Bush administration in the Office of Management and Budget and as Press Secretary to the Senate Budget Committee.

October 19th – Session Four

Speechwriter: One of the few jobs in DC that literally allows a person to make their mark on history while making history through the skillful combination of policy, poetry and empathetic observation.

Speaker: Michael Gerson

Michael Gerson is the “perfect storm” of speechwriting skills. He is a man of purpose and policy with a powerful gift for words. Michael is best known for his time spent in the White House where he advised President Bush on policy and directed the Office of Presidential Speechwriting. Prior to joining the Bush Administration, he was chief speechwriter and senior policy adviser for the Bush for President Campaign. Michael has also served as the senior editor covering politics for U.S. News & World Report, speechwriter and policy adviser for Congressman Jack Kemp, speechwriter for presidential candidate Senator Bob Dole and policy director for Senator Dan Coats of Illinois.

October 26th – Session Five

Committee Staff: Committees in the House and Senate are the engines which drive legislation, policy innovation and oversight. They can be powerful places to work and even more powerful places from which to launch a career. They are the ideal places for people who like research, policy creation, legislative strategy and have affinity for certain issues. There is perhaps no more powerful committee than Appropriations which is charged with developing the specifics of government spending.

Speaker: Jim Dyer

Jim Dyer served as the clerk and staff director of the Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives for more than 10 years. He supervised the activities of a 150- person professional staff in discharging the Committee’s responsibility to produce 13 annual appropriations bills. He was also the principal committee liaison to the Republican leadership and assisted leadership staff in planning the House of Representatives agenda. During his time on Capitol Hill, he also served as a professional staff assistant on the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Foreign Operations where he handled a variety of State and Defense Department issues and on the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch were he worked to fund the activities of Congress and its supporting agencies. He began his Capitol Hill career in 1975 through 1984 as a press secretary/legislative assistant to the Honorable Joseph M. McDade (R-PA) and later as Congressman McDade’s Chief of Staff.

Beyond the Hill, Mr. Dyer worked in the Bush and Reagan Administrations in the White

House Office of Legislative Affairs and U.S. Department of State.

November 2nd – Session Six

Personal Aide: This position is so close to the source of power, the politician’s shadow has been known to get jealous. This position is so much more than it appears on the surface. It is gatekeeper, mood minder, efficiency expert, secret keeper and when occasion calls for it, jester.

Speaker: Michael Glassner

For fifteen years, Michael Glassner served as one of the closest…if not, the closest…senior aide to the Majority Leader and presidential candidate. For ten of those years, as personal aide, he traveled the nation and the world with Senator Dole and has the stories to prove it. His political experience spans the scope of managing a senatorial Campaign, directing political action committees, and political consulting.

November 9th – Session Seven

Impact of Elections on Capitol Hill Staff: News flash for people considering political jobs: there is no such thing as “job security.” The good news is that switching jobs every couple of years allows young talent to quickly move up the career ladder. The bad news is that a job you love could end as a result of a campaign loss. This session will review the outcome of the 2006 mid-term elections with an eye toward the anxiety, jubilation and opportunity experienced by staff.

Speaker: Joe Gaylord, Political Consultant

Joe Gaylord is a returning favorite IOP Fellow. Joe served as a key aide to Newt Gingrich and as a principle architect for Republican strategy to take control of the House of Representatives in 1994. He also led the successful effort to keep the Republican majority in 1996 and 1998 – a feat not accomplished since the days of Herbert Hoover. With his thirty years of experience, Joe has an unique perspective and expertise in campaign strategy and organization, message development, media and advertising, grassroots and coalition building. He developed the Campaign Management College for the Republican National Committee and founded the American Campaign Academy.

November 16th – Session Eight

Chief of Staff : When policy, scheduling, politics, personal matters and crisis, such as an attempted coup, all collide, who do you call – The Chief of Staff.

Speaker: Arne Christenson

Arne Christenson served at Chief of Staff to Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Prior to that he was Chief of Staff to Congressman Vin Weber (R-MN), a member of the House leadership, and as Legislative Director to Senator Rudy Boshwitz (R-MN). He also served as the chief lobbyist for the public advocacy group American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Semester Wrap Up: Review of Tips for Success and Career Path Discussion

Speaker: Christina Martin