I have worked in the development, effective dissemination, and management of policy and policy information for more than 30 years on congressional staff, at the White House, and in several Federal agencies.

 

I began my career as a staffer for Congressman Thomas Downey, a leader in Congress on child welfare, trade, and tax matters. Following my time with the Congressman, I supported the House Committee on Ways and Means responding to tax policy inquiries from Congressional offices and the public. After Ways and Means, I worked on a variety of domestic policy matters for both Representative Leon Panetta of California and Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania. While on the Hill, I earned a master’s degree in Public Administration from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

 

After leaving the Hill, I worked for eight years in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), an arm of the White House, in three different offices: Education, Transportation, and Homeland Security. Over those eight years I was a primary staff lead on numerous major policy issues including government-wide responses to 9/11, such as the creation and deployment of the Transportation Security Administration; aviation system technology and operational modernization; and higher education programs legislative reauthorization.

 

I joined the Department of Homeland Security in 2005 and finished my federal career in the Department of Commerce. Over those 16 years, I rose through the ranks in management, resource planning, and financial communities while taking on challenging policy matters in areas such as immigration, border security, information technology, workforce development, and organizational transformation.