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Laura Swartz ’10 is a Political Programs Fellow at the Women's Campaign Forum, a political non-profit in DC that tries to get more pro-choice women elected to office. Laura tells us “I manage a chunk of our endorsement program and planned and executed an overhaul of a major program, among other things in an ever-growing to-do list. In addition, I do lots of writing, research on how the decennial redistricting will affect women, and have become somewhat of a web-s i t e m a n a g e m e n t g u r u . ”

Since August, Simone Pérez ’10 has been working on the Subcommittee on Avia-tion for the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. She writes, “My job on Capital Hill is challenging and varied, and I am constantly learning the ins and outs of the legislative process. Primary aspects of my job include public outreach and background research for the subcommittee. I have been fortunate to be involved in some policy issues, compiling the background information so that the committee can make informed decisions. Less than two years ago I would never have imagined the privilege of working on the Hill, enjoying every minute, but after interning for the Committee I was fortunate enough to be hired. Now every day is filled with new challenges and learning opportunities. I LOVE my job!”

CP ’08: I am the Media Relations Coordinator for the Washington bureau and, specifically, Publicist for Christiane Amanpour at ABC News. Basically, I manage publicity (interviews, meet and greets, dinners, keynote speeches, etc) for all of the correspondents in the Washington bureau. I also manage publicity for "This Week with Christiane Amanpour." In this capacity, I write press releases and show announcements, field calls and requests from reporters, and monitor all news regarding the show. I also manage Ms. Amanpour's personal publicity, interviews, and appearances, which includes attending events as her publicist.

I am always saying that if you can get through college, you can do my job. Writing press releases is essentially like taking excellent notes- extracting the most key/ "news-y" information; information that reporters would find interest-ing, then using those quotes to summarize and sell our show. It also takes good people skills (knowing when to give information out to certain people, when not to, and how to make it seem like you're not hiding anything). I guess this second part is more about practice and learning from (sometimes bad) experience.

CP ’08: Strangely enough, I got hired when I was waitressing at a restaurant. Chatted up a couple, and the wife happened to be an executive at ABC. The hus-band is the business manager for the Huffington Post. They are two of my best contacts here in the city. Just goes to show, network with absolutely EVERYONE because you never know when something will come of it.

I would say, however cheesy it may sound, that Skidmore students are incredibly well rounded. My boss once said she felt comfortable throwing me into any situa-tion, and I think this is mainly because Skidmore exposes its students to so many different subjects and ideas. A lot of the politically-driven people I know in DC can

only function and be comfortable in one arena- politics. While I feel comfortable talking politics with someone, I can hold my own at pretty much any event. Also, while our show is politically based, we often have guests that are on the fringe. It helps to have a vested interest in many fields when deciding what exactly to write about these people ;)

e n t a i l ? I currently serve as Speechwriter for the Chairman of the House Republican Conference, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), in Washington, D.C. I'm responsible for communicating the party's message to all the members of the Conference and the media through not only the Chairman's speeches but also talking points bulletins, p r e s s r e l e a s e s a n d o p - e d s .

Do you use what you learned in your Government coursework in your job now? Yes, definitely. Studying in the Government department sharpened my writing and analytical skills in ways that help me with almost everything that I do now. Of course, in-class debates, whether formal or not, also taught me how to frame an issue or argument in a way that sells to the middle and can change the mind of (or at least be understood by) the other side.

Scott Minkoff ’04 has accepted an offer for a tenure track position at Barnard starting in fall 2011. He will be receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado -Boulder in the spring. His dissertation is on local economic development policies.

Meryl Kenny ’04 is the Assistant Director of the Academy of Government, Politics and International Relations, School of Social and Political Science, at the Univer-sity of Edinburgh. She completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 2009. Her doctoral thesis - entitled 'Gendering Institutions: The Political Recruitment of Women in Post-Devolution Scotland' - was awarded the UK Political Studies Asso-ciation Arthur McDougall Fund Prize for best dissertation in the field of elections, electoral systems, and representation in 2010.

Chris McGrath ‘99 formerly with Senator Reid's press office in Washington, has been appointed by the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) to start up its new Liaison Office in Washington. Chris will represent UNRWA in its work with Congress and the Executive Branch as well as with corporations and NGOs. The US Government and the EU and its member states are the largest underwriters of UNRWA. He will travel this spring to UNRWA locations in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, and Jordan. UNRW A e x i s t s s o l e l y t o a s s i s t P a l e s t i n i a n r e f u g e e s .

Ken Olmstead '06 has been admitted into the MA Program in Communications, Culture, and Technology at Georgetown University, where he will be enrolled this Fall. Since graduation, he was been with the Pew Charitable Trust in Washington, DC.