GWIPP DECEMBER 2006 NEWSLETTER
America must be a light to the world, not just a missile.
--Nancy PelosiContents:
A Primer on Women’s Policy Issues
Careers in the Federal Government
A Primer on Women’s Policy Issues
Sanjana Ahmad, MPP '07 Environmental Policy
Kristen Waters, MPP '07 Social Policy
On November 13th, GWIPP welcomed to its planning meeting Melissa Schober, Senior Legislative Analyst of Women’s Policy Inc. (WPI). WPI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that follows congressional action affecting women and families. Created in 1977 as staff for the Congresswoman’s Caucus, WPI’s first members included Patricia Schroeder, Lindy Boggs (Cokie Roberts’ mother), Shirley Chisholm, and Marjorie Holt. The group’s earliest issue was getting a women’s restroom on the floor of the House. The group later became the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues; the information and analysis arm of the Caucus splintered off to become known separately as WPI. WPI briefs the Caucus members and general public; recent topics have included HIV/AIDS, tobacco cessation, and economic security for low-income women.
Melissa gave us some recaps from the mid-term elections and forecasts for the new Congress. She says some moderate Republicans lost seats, but that raising the minimum wage resonates with some Republicans and a number of Democrats. The pro-choice Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act would provide federal dollars for science-based, medically accurate health information about abstinence and contraception in schools; and according to Melissa, the act is gaining support. Melissa predicts gridlock on the reauthorization on the Ryan White CARE (Comprehensive AIDS Resource Emergency) Act. Finally, Melissa named Louise Slaughter (D-New York), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, as a policy maker to watch. She says Rep. Slaughter is very committed to women’s policy issues.
Before she became a senior policy analyst, Melissa graduated from St. Josephs, a small women’s college in Connecticut, with a degree in political science. To distinguish herself from all the other political science graduates streaming into DC, she sought out meaningful work experience. In fact, Melissa once sent out 84 resumes in the midst of a job search—but she doesn’t recommend this approach. After an internship with the American Medical Women’s Association, Melissa went to work for Bass & Howes (now DDB), a women-owned and women-focused progressive consulting firm, and then CT NARAL (Pro-Choice America), where she researched state abortion laws and relevant court decisions. After exploring and ultimately rejecting a career in law, Melissa joined MayaTech, a mid-sized firm in Silver Spring, where her work focused on health disparities.
Today Melissa writes articles for WPI’s weekly newsletter, The Source, and provides research for briefings related to her issue areas. These include any domestic legislation related to healthcare, children (aside from education), safety, economic security, and the federal budget. She also prepares year-in-review documents on appropriations and legislative action affecting women and families.
If you’re conducting a job search, Melissa advises that you find out about your potential employer’s work/life balance policies. Ask your interviewer for examples of when a staff member had a family problem and how the organization dealt with it. She also recommends collecting business cards ‘like it was going out of style’ and noting on the back of the card the place and date of when you met the person and what you talked about. Hovering near the hors d’oeuvres table is a great way to meet people and hear the latest gossip. Reconnect with your contacts on a regular basis to keep these relationships fresh. You can reach with your own women’s policy and career questions.
Melissa Schober, Senior Legislative Analyst, Women’s Policy Inc.
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News From the Hill: As Elections Loom, Congress Scrambles to Address Appropriations, Foreign Policy
Carolyn Chuhta, MPP '05 Social Policy
October turned Capitol Hill into a ghost town as members and staffers went home to campaign for the much-anticipated midterm election. As a reminder, here’s a recap:
- Maryland: Rep. Ben Cardin (D) will replace the retiring Paul Sarbanes (D) in the Senate. John Sarbanes (D) will fill Rep. Cardin’s vacated seat in the 3rd District.
- Virginia: In a narrow race, Jim Webb (D) will replace Sen. George Allen (R).
- With over 230 seats (some races still haven’t been decided) in the House and 51 seats in the Senate, the Democrats will control the legislative branch when the 110th Congress begins in January 2007.
- The 2006 election also brought some notable achievements for women serving in Congress. First, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will make history as the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. Also, two women will join the Senate, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party) and Claire McCaskill of Missouri (D), making the total number of women increase to 16.
After the long days of stump speeches, phone banking, and sign waving were over, members of Congress returned to Washington with critical items on the agenda. With only two of 12 appropriations bills signed into law and the federal government operating on a continuing resolution (CR), committee chairs have scrambled to push their bills through passage. Despites these efforts, it is likely that the Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs bill, which contains housing and health benefits for soldiers, veterans, and their families, may be the only funding bill signed into law before another CR is enacted to carry over into 2007.
Both houses of Congress have passed a bill to tighten control over a nuclear cooperation plan negotiated between the Bush Administration and India. The legislation will preserve non-proliferation standards while allowing the U.S. government to participate in civil nuclear energy commerce with India, a nation that is not party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). For more information on this legislation, see H.R. 5682 on www.congress.gov.
The Senate also considered several important nominations. On December 6, 2006, Robert Gates was confirmed to replace Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense. A vote on the nomination of Andrew von Eschenbach to be Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration will likely occur after this article is published. Another piece of confirmation news came when John Bolton, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, announced he would resign from his post when his appointment expires at the end of this year. Bolton took the post after a recess appointment from President Bush because opponents in the Senate prevented his nomination from reaching the floor for a vote.
While boxes are being packed, offices moved, and new staffers hired, many are looking forward to an efficient and effective 110th Congress in 2007!
Carolyn Chuhta is the Senior Legislative Aide for National Security in the office of Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski.
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Career Advice at the First Ever GWIPP-Sponsored Tuesday Forum
Marisa London, MPP '07 Environmental Policy
GWIPP invited two women from the School of Public Policy to speak to students at the weekly Tuesday Forum. Professor Marita Brown and Anja Kuznetsova, a program coordinator at the Center for International and Security Studies (CISSM), discussed their careers as women and public policy professionals. The two speakers were able to show the breadth of the field, giving listeners completely different examples of what you can accomplish.
Marita Brown has spent her whole career working in public finance, but she never intended to do that type of work. She took an internship in a county budget office and was offered a position there afterward. As a result, Professor Brown counseled students to be open to all job opportunities, even those they would never have considered before. At the time, she was the only female working in the office. But by working hard and exceeding expectations, she was able to prove to all her male coworkers that she was just as, if not more capable. Professor Brown later went on to be the Maryland Secretary of Budget and Fiscal Planning, a visiting scholar at the United States Congressional Budget Office, and a member of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commissions. Even with a busy career, she managed to raise a family. Her advice to women who want to balance work and home life: be flexible and select a partner who is just as willing to help around the house.Anja Kuznetsova, originally from Russia, has worked in development positions all around the world. She has always considered herself to be an idealist, and entered the field in order to make a difference. For that reason, she chose to work in the non-profit sector where she would have more freedom to pursue to change. Though she has become a bit more pragmatic over time, she said that her idealism was valuable in the field of international development and security. Anya took positions at International Alert and The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, where she was frequently one of only a few women. She echoed Professor Brown’s sentiments about working harder, but also added that, in a male-dominated field, it was important to emphasize the different perspective you bring to the table as a female.
Both women were able to give great advice to students from all disciplines and said they would love to answer any more questions. You can contact either or by e-mail. GWIPP hosts many events with women leaders-look forward to another Tuesday Forum next semester!
Prof. Marita Brown addresses students at the first ever GWIPP-sponsored Tuesday Forum.
Anja Kuznetsova and Marita Brown shared stories from their careers.
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Alum Advice on Careers in the Federal Government
Mary Ellen Kustin, MPP ’08 CONS and Environmental Policy
On the morning of Saturday November 11th, around a dozen members and friends met at Teaism Restaurant in Penn Quarter for a GWIPP sponsored Alumni Panel focused on jobs in the Federal Government. The panel was made up of Jennifer Lindsey from the Department of Homeland Security, Amber Simco from the Government Accountability Office, and GWIPP co-founder Courtney Workman from the Department of Health and Human Services.
It was interesting to hear the discussion that ensued as the women discussed and compared experiences at their respective offices. Courtney described the HHS as a department that takes pages of legislation and turns them into workable programs. Amber’s job at the GAO is to then examine the work that comes out of offices like HHS. Useful tidbits were dropped left and right, including helpful information on the GS pay scale and the great opportunity to work for the Feds and get your student loans paid off. Here are a few notes to keep in mind as you are searching for jobs!
- Do your homework when preparing for an interview. Know what the agency does, and have a strategy to highlight yourself.
- Network like crazy.
- And of course, Internships! Internships! Internships!
The alumni also reflected on the classes they had taken while at SPP. For instance, skills picked up in Management and Leadership that had not seemed terribly important at the time have since become very useful. Good words were also mentioned for the class on Political Institutions, Dr. Fetter’s Global Environmental Problems, and Dr. Schick’s Federal Budgeting.
After the Q&A session, the panelists hung out for a little while and chatted with the current students as everyone finished their tea and delicious ginger scones before parting ways. The experience was both very pleasant and informative. I’m looking forward to more interactions with alumni in the future.
Courtney Workman talks about what surprised her about federal government work.
Amber Simco works for the Government Accountability Office.
Ruby Marcelo gets advice from Jennifer Lindsey.
GWIPP members get pointers for their intern and job searches.
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PSGA Update
Sanjana Ahmad, MPP '07 Environmental Policy
What has the PSGA been up to as this semester wraps up? Well, first of all, we'd like to welcome our new half-year representatives, Melissa Wabnik and Eamon DelGiacco. They've already been dragged into PSGA work and are, respectively, serving as PSGA secretary and service chair.
Our focus for the last month has been - STRESS RELEIF - pumpkim carvings, thanksgiving hand turkeys, and snowflakes. Congratulations go to Kate Durant for her great carving of Capt'n Jack Sparrow. The carved pumpkins added a nice fall touch to the MSPP Atrium...until they started rotting. Ew. Unfortunately both those and the hand turkeys are gone but now you can come see the snowflakes gracing the Atrium wall and make one or two of your own! Look forward to more goofy events as we near final exams...
Also, right now, the annual PSGA student survey is open. This survey helps us and the adminstration gather data about the student body, adminstrative services, things that are going well and aspects about SPP that may need improvement. If you're a current student, check your email for the survey monkey link and take 5-10min to fill out the survey. Think of it as a study break! ;)
So, what do you think the PSGA should be doing? .
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The Bigger Picture: How Maryland Public Policy Alums are Affecting and Changing Policy
Shirley Hsieh, MPP '04 International Security & Economic Policy
Welcome to The Bigger Picture! This is a new feature in the GWIPP Newsletter that highlights the various careers and work of Maryland Public Policy Alums and, on a larger scale, how they think their current job is affecting policy and changing the world. The key is that no matter what the position is, what our Maryland Public Policy Alums are doing, or where they are, Public Policy Alums are continually making a difference in the world!
If you have any questions or would like to contribute to The Bigger Picture, please contact
Name: Paula Harrison (MPM ’05, ISEP)
Title: Program Analyst
Organization: U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO)What are you currently working on?
I work in the Policy and Programming Division at the Department’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO). Specifically, my division responds to inquiries from various entities, including Congress, OMB, GAO, and the Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). These inquiries vary in scope. OMB or the GAO, for instance, typically request information on OBO’s policies, such as OBO’s procedures for property management and embassy security. The Department’s OIG usually focuses on specific overseas posts. Congress typically asks about a specific project that the public is interested in, such as facilities issues in Iraq or Afghanistan. OBO responds to inquiries in various ways. The bureau might simply draft a written response, or we might take a certain action, depending on the issue.
How is your job affecting policy/making a difference?
One of the Department’s highest priorities is protecting employees overseas. Developing safe facilities is essential to this goal. At OBO, we get involved in all aspects of property and facility management, including
- working with other Department bureaus to evaluate the needs of overseas missions,
- purchasing properties,
- constructing embassy and consulate buildings,
- leasing overseas residences, and
- operating and maintaining overseas facilities.
My role is a small one, of course, but I enjoy contributing to this important effort.
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Got Something to Say?
We need your submissions for these upcoming GWIPP newsletters. Please email if you are interested in writing on any of the following themes:
March -- The Science and Technology Issue: gearing up for Earth Day/Month events in April; feature on climate change; focus on women's health
May -- The "Changes" Issue - transitioning from school to full-time work; becoming a parent; going back to school (articles from new and prospective students on "why now?"); deciding when it's time to change jobs
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Upcoming GWIPP Events
GWIPP Strategic Planning Retreat Saturday, January 27th, 10 am – 2 pm at Dana Coelho’s House
Calling all current students and alumnae! We could use your help setting the future direction for GWIPP. Last year’s strategic planning session was so successful—we felt energized, focused, and better informed about GWIPP at the end of the day—that we’re holding another retreat this winter. Even if you haven’t participated in GWIPP activities in the past, we could use your thoughts on where the group should be headed.
At the retreat, you can expect to:
- Learn more about the history and mission of GWIPP;
- Help us plan activities for the Spring semester;
- Find out about GWIPP leadership opportunities;
- Get to know other women who attend or have graduated from the Maryland School of Public Policy; and
- Savor Greenbelt’s best vegetarian Chinese cuisine!
Please send an email if you are interested in attending the retreat.
GWIPP members at last January’s strategic planning retreat
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