Buckeyes in the Beltway

Outside of the noted personal benefits of a federal career, such as the pension, health insurance, pay scale and the Thrift Savings Plan, I find the work fulfilling. Our government is designed to protect the rights of its citizens, and I know that the work I am doing, and so many other public servants are doing, is furthering that goal. For some positions, it may be difficult to see that goal at times. But I believe that every position in the federal government is designed with that approach in mind, and I see public servants as instruments to advance the protection of American citizens. 

My current position as a transportation specialist is focused on investigating crashes that involve commercial vehicles. There are a number of standards that the agency holds motor carriers to, and it is my job to ensure those standards are being met. My enforcement of these standards is designed to incentivize carriers to maintain and enhance the safety of all drivers on the road, not just those driving a commercial vehicle.

I actually held two different internships during my time as an MPA-DC Fellow. The first was in the Strategic Planning and Performance Division at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This internship gave me a lot of visibility into the work of top-level officials at HUD, both in the C-suite and in policy areas. The second was in the Office of Commercial and Cargo Sealift in the Maritime Administration at the Department of Transportation. This position was in stark contrast to my internship at HUD, in that it was much more focused on day-to-day deliverables and executing long-standing maritime policy. The combination of these two positions aided me in understanding the flow of policy, from its formulation all the way down to its implementation, from career federal employees. This unique experience, combined with the coursework from the Glenn College, has helped my understanding of the importance of all agency work and will aid me in managing employees in the future. 

As part of my work at the Partnership for Public Service, I support the public servants who keep us safe, make our country function and support all facets of our society. When a mentor suggested I check out the work of the Partnership, I was amazed by how it does its work: supporting federal employees through leadership development, advocacy and programs aimed at bringing young and talented people into government. My work with federal employees has given me a greater appreciation for all that it takes for the federal executive branch to work and provide all its services. I’ve learned about interesting programs across government, like at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where Vice Adm. Nancy Hann created policies and enforcement tools that reduced incidents of sexual harassment. 

My internship was at the Partnership for Public Service, and I am still employed there today. Without MPA-DC, my life would certainly not be the same. By teaching me about public finance and public policy and implementation, MPA-DC gave me a solid understanding of the federal environment and how my work fits into the broader enterprise.

To me, serving at the federal level is both the ultimate challenge and the ultimate reward for those who desire to work in public policy. At this level, it’s truly the big leagues. You’ll interact with some of the most knowledgeable, skilled and experienced staff and stakeholders — true heavyweights of public policy. When I first got bit by the politics bug in high school as I watched the 2012 election unfold, I didn’t know for sure what level of government I’d want to serve in. But it became very clear after spending a summer in Washington, D.C., that the federal government was the place I wanted to be. It’s faster paced, higher stakes and provides you an incredible opportunity to cut your teeth quickly on difficult but important issues.

I work for partisan elected officials, so of course I must believe that our vision of policy is the correct direction for the country. But most of what legislative staff do is not about the macro policy agenda that divides the parties and gets the headlines. You quickly find working in this job that there are so many small, niche problems that arise which affect your constituents in tangible ways. Much of the most impactful staff work comes from listening to concerns, identifying problems and coming up with small, often technical, solutions that address the problem. So when I help my boss advocate for lower taxes, obviously that is something that he and I believe is good for the public, but these small, often bipartisan, wins are also examples of delivering for the public. I think small wins like that are often the most gratifying and help me feel like I am leaving things just a little better than I found them.

I hope that as an Ohioan who has had the privilege of working for an Ohio congressman and an Ohio senator, I’ve been a small part of making sure more of our Ohio and Midwest values are represented here in D.C. I think that mission is successful and am I proud of how many Ohioans I meet in various positions around D.C., and I think that we are well represented — as we should be! Ohio is one of the largest states in the union, and our influence should be felt here from the elected level down to the staff.

In many cases, federal public service allows people to connect with their government and let their voices be heard, which is incredibly important in a democracy. Additionally, even when federal public servants are not directly communicating with members of the public, many of them work in roles that provide a vast array of services to the public or help ensure these services are carried out efficiently and effectively. 

I just started my position at the National Rifle Association in February, but at my previous position as Congressional Liaison Specialist for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, I worked in the Office of Congressional Affairs on the Budget and Appropriations team. I communicated regularly with members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees about Customs and Border Protection programs, policies and initiatives. My position helped ensure that Customs and Border Protection employees in the field, such as Border Patrol agents and officers working at our ports of entry across the U.S., have the resources they need to safeguard our borders and facilitate lawful travel and trade.

During WAIP I interned with Marathon Petroleum Corp. as the federal government affairs intern. Interning at Marathon Petroleum Corp. introduced me to life in D.C. and gave me the opportunity to learn about working with Congress, the federal legislative process and how the federal legislative and executive branches interact. 

My subcommittee has the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other smaller agencies. This covers everything from funding to upgrade roads and bridges, keep our airways and railways safe, support local communities in building affordable housing, and ensure our nation’s most vulnerable have a roof over their heads through our public housing and voucher programs.

Each year, through the Appropriations Committee process, my role is to advise my subcommittee chairman in drafting the House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, with the goals of committee passage, floor passage and a final negotiation with our Senate counterparts to enact a responsible spending measure that reflects the goals of the people our members represent.

I interned with Nucor Public Affairs, the government affairs arm of one of America’s largest steel producers. My internship site boss, Eileen Bradner, was actually a staffer for Sen. John Glenn. I gained incredible insight from her as to what it was like to work in a Senate office, how to advocate for your priorities to Congress, and how to dig into policy orders in order to best represent the interests of your principals. She is actually the reason I took a job with Sen. Rob Portman in Columbus right out of college, which led me to his D.C. office and serving as his lead staffer on the negotiations of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and now the House Appropriations Committee today, so I accredit much of my career to her!

As a born and raised Ohioan whose family had no connections to politics, the Washington Academic Internship Program gave me an opportunity I would have never had otherwise to really “try on” D.C. before taking the leap after graduation. The programming, community and the alumni network that WAIP, the Glenn College and Ohio State provide has been a huge boost to my network in Washington. WAIP has leveled the playing field for Ohio State students to have access to information and a network that most attribute to Ivy League schools.

While I am a firm believer that most people “meet” their government on a day-to-day level locally, there are a handful of important actions that only a federal government and workforce can implement, and it takes years of learning, technical expertise and relationships to execute. Many of the career federal public servants have historically served as stability and continuity for our government while political winds may shift from time to time.

I was fortunate to be on campus and in the WAIP program while John and Annie Glenn were both around and active and was able to meet them on several occasions. Both John and Annie’s focus on “service” and our obligation to do good work on behalf of others permeates the Glenn College. D.C. can be a place of egos and Ivy Leaguers, and the Glenn College ethos of service is what sets Buckeyes apart.

Despite literally traveling into space, John Glenn never forgot where he came from or the neighborhood he grew up in. Growing up in middle-America, that connection to your hometown and overall pride in the state of Ohio and its people runs deep. That focus on community allows Buckeyes to keep front and center the idea that public service, at the end of the day, is about how to make people’s lives better, removing barriers or providing opportunity for them to reach their fullest potential. John Glenn’s vision is alive and well in D.C., and D.C. certainly needs it.

My motivation for pursuing a career in federal service stems from my desire to serve the public in the delivery of critical services. Benefiting the American public by working within a federal agency allows young professionals to develop technical skills in program planning, service delivery and community outreach.

There is great value in working for the betterment of the American public. I personally work for an agency with a safety mission, which allows me to better understand how regulatory practices protect the everyday American and help them live a longer life.

My current role maintains a focus on improving data quality in order to support roadway safety and the accurate regulation of commercial motor vehicles. Commercial vehicles are significant in delivering services across the country while also employing millions. My role at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is to benefit the public by ensuring our data collection maintains accurate data for crashes, inspections and violations on our nation’s roadways.

My WAIP internship was with the International Economic Development Council. In this role I grew my skills in evaluation of program implementation and professional writing. This internship taught me how to engage with the D.C. professional world, how to represent myself and my college, and how to balance many educational and professional priorities. These skills were incredibly important for my future experience as an MPA-DC student with the Glenn College.