Q: Where are you from? Where are you located now? What is your position?
A: I am originally from Zionsville, but now, I live in Washington, DC. I am the Staff Director for the US House Committee on Veterans Affairs on the majority’s side. I work directly under Representative Mike Bost, who is the Chairman of the committee. This means that I am the boss for the staff at this time.
Q: You have been working at the US House of Representatives for 17 years, and you have recently achieved the position of Staff Director. Can you tell us about your progression at the House?
A: Working for the House was my first professional job out of school. After participating in the Washington Leadership Program during the first semester of my senior year, I knew I wanted to work in DC. During WLP, I attended a bunch of committee meetings, and I had the opportunity to listen in on some of the early Hurricane Katrina relief hearings. I really enjoyed that work; it made me realize that I wanted to do committee work.
I sent my resume out everywhere. It was difficult to get a job in DC coming from Bloomington, but a House committee member from Indiana pulled my resume because I was from his district. I never imagined that I would be working on veterans policy, but I was hired to be a Staff Assistant. This is the entry level position right above an intern.
I speak to WLP interns when they are here, and I would love to see WLP interns be brought back to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs
Q: How did SPEA help open the door to this career? How did it prepare you?
A: SPEA has had a great reputation since its founding. There are a lot of SPEA alumni in DC. SPEA prepared me in many ways. I had excellent professors, like David Allen. I learned about the basic public policy cycle, how to read a bill, how the budget process works, and much more basic DC Hill stuff that I have to teach to new hires now. I had a leg up on people my age when I came to work on the Hill because of SPEA. I also learned about how administrative agencies work, how the Administrative Procedures Act works, how Congress interacts with agencies, etc. Many people who are hired on the Hill right out of college know a lot about theory, but they are often unfamiliar with how the federal government works. SPEA taught me about real-life things that are critical in my everyday work. Politics and theory are important, but it is also important to understand they why and how of what is going on.
Q: What is the most impactful, meaningful contribution you feel you have made during your career at the House?
A: As a Staff Director, the work that I do isn’t necessarily about me. My job is to make the committee members look good. As a staffer, my head would not be in the right place if I were to talk about all of my accomplishments. It isn’t really about what I have done. We all serve the pleasure of the employers. That is very important to remember.
There are some bills that I have worked on, and they have become law. For example, I worked on the GI Bill and the VA Accountability Act in 2017. Some of the most impactful things I have done are small provisions in legislation that I have worked on that came to us from veterans and their families. I get excited about those provisions where someone comes to me and says, “Hey, I need you to work on this provision so that my son or daughter can have access to education.” There’s a human face to those interactions, and that is very exciting.
Q: What advice do you have for upcoming graduates as they search for a career that they find fulfilling?
A: One of the things that I am seeing, especially with new hires, is that people need to be willing to do what is asked of them. You have to have a strong work ethic. If you are willing to sit down, learn something new, and have that grateful heart to be a learner, that is extremely important. We have had plenty of employees burn out here—employees with fancy degrees and designations who simply do not know how to work through things and do not have the work ethic or willingness to learn. If the Chairman calls and you’re supposed to be somewhere at 10pm, you just have to be willing to do it. Having a can-do work ethic and a willingness to learn is huge.
I also tell people to take their jobs seriously, but don’t take themselves seriously. You have to be able to make fun of yourself and have fun with the people you work with. Oftentimes, you spend more time with your coworkers than your friends or family. You have to find a good group of people, be able to have fun, and find a culture and mission that makes you want to come to work every day.
Q: How do you manage the high-stress, always-on-call nature of your job?
A: I am really blessed with a great family who supports me through everything. That is a huge part of it. My wife is really great, and so are my two little kids. That, to me, is very important.
I try to separate when I’m at work and when I’m not. I do work a lot—there’s no doubt about tat. However, I try to say, “When I’m off, I’m off.” It does not always work, but I try to do that where I can. Stress is a huge issue, and I think people have to learn to handle it in different ways. For me, it really helps to set aside specific time to get things done. I get the most stressed out if I’m not prepared for something, so it is really important to ensure I am prepared. I never go into a meeting not knowing what I am doing.
Everyone comes to DC and learns as they experience life and work here. People come here and realize that the entire world is put together and being supported by 25–30-year-olds. It is a little bit jarring at first. You really have to learn as you go, and you sometimes have to fake it till you make it.
I do get calls after hours, but my boss doesn’t call me and talk to me for 2 hours. It’s more like, “Hey, this happened. I need you address it tomorrow.” And that’s it. That’s all I need to do. It’s manageable.
Q: The O’Neill School motto is “Lead for the Greater Good.” What does leading for the greater good mean to you?
A: It’s the standard of doing the right thing when no one is looking. It’s about always doing the right thing no matter where you are. One of the things I really like about working in Veterans Affairs is that its normally nonpartisan. We get a lot of really good things done for a lot of people without having partisan fights all the time. We get to make a lot of great changes for people for the greater good. We, as people, are small. But I know I make an impact. Sometimes, it’s hard to see what positive changes you have made, but when you go out and talk to people, you recognize it. I was just in Texas last week talking with some people for work, and I was able to see some changes we’ve made that were able to really help people. That is really rewarding. To me, making those positive changes for people is a part of leading for the greater good.
Q: Do you have any last messages or stories to share with students?
A: My message to students is…It can happen. I think that there are a lot of folks who feel that they can’t come work on the hill, or they’re scared of it. They’re scared of partisanship. They’re scared of the stuff they see on TV. The hill is the place I came to work, and I encourage people to come here. There are a lot of really good people here, members that work here who want to do the right thing. There’s a lot of opportunity here to do good work. We need smart people. There’s a huge brain drain here. This happens often. We need smart people who are dedicated to come and help members.
There’s also a lot of room for growth and opportunities for promotion on the hill. I think people are always worried about the pay. The pay isn’t great to start, but if you get the right office and work hard, it will get better. I have some folks on my team who started just a year and a half ago at entry-level positions. Now, they’re almost running some subcommittees. You come in and show your work, and people will value that and compensate you for it. At least the Chairman does.
Another thing I want to say is that there are very few people here who are actually from Washington, D.C.. Somebody was nice to them, and they gave them the same speech I am giving students now. I had a teacher during WLP, Donna McLean, who was one of the people who convinced me I could do this out here. There’s a lot of goodwill to help others as somebody helps you. We want to see Hoosiers do good things. Take people up on the opportunities they offer you. Don’t be afraid to ask us for coffees, do virtual calls, all that. Everyone is really happy to help you. If they’re not, you don’t want to work with them anyway!
