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GLASS and the LGBT Congressional Staff Association are proud to host our first annual Pride on the Hill Awards, honoring LGBTQ+ staff and allies whose leadership and service have helped make Capitol Hill a more equitable and inclusive workplace.
Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Rayburn 2168
🔗 RSVP here [ [link removed] ]
Pride on the Hill Awards Afters!
Keep the fun going after the Pride on the Hill Awards by joining the LGBT CSA and GLASS at Crush [ [link removed] ] [ [link removed] ]for an after party! We will be in Studio A (downstairs) from 8:30 - 10:00 PM to celebrate our community and this year’s Pride on the Hill awardees. We can’t wait to see you there! RSVP below.
Award Categories
Lifetime Achievement in Service Award (2 recipients): Honoring one House and one Senate senior staffer whose careers reflect sustained commitment to advancing LGBTQ+ equity and justice on Capitol Hill.
Rising Star Award (2 recipients): Recognizing one House and one Senate junior staffer (3–5 years of service) who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, initiative, and impact early in their careers.
Ally of the Hill Award (1 recipient): Celebrating a former LGBT CSA member who continues to champion LGBTQ+ equity and justice beyond Capitol Hill.
Our Pride on the Hill Awardees
Nika Oka — LGBT CSA Rising Star Award
Nik Oka (they/them) serves as the Policy Director at the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). They previously held positions at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), and the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. They got their start on Capitol Hill as an Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives. An avid traveler and hiker, Nik has been to over 30 countries and counts trekking in the Himalayas, hiking to the top of Mount Fuji, and camping in the Sahara Desert among some of their most life-changing experiences.
Jorge Jimenez Orsini - GLASS Rising Star Award
Originally from Puerto Rico and Florida, Jorge Jimenez Orsini (he/him) is a graduate of the University of Central Florida. After some years in the private sector Jorge moved to DC and pivoted to public service by joining the Operations Team for the Office of Senator Jeff Merkley. He joined GLASS in 2024 and is grateful for the community it has fostered. He looks forward to the coming year with GLASS and finding new ways to get involved.
Robert Edmonson — LGBT CSA Lifetime Achievement Award
A seasoned Capitol Hill leader with extensive experience in House Leadership, Member, and now Committee staff, Robert Edmonson (he/him) brings over 19 years of Congressional service to his role as Staff Director. Before joining the Committee, he served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Robert Garcia from the start of his first term in January 2023, playing a pivotal role in the Congressman’s successful elections as Democratic Caucus Leadership Representative and Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee. Robert spent 15 years working for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, ultimately serving as her Chief of Staff in her Congressional Office and as senior advisor on infrastructure and appropriations. He was instrumental in negotiating the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and major policies in the COVID relief packages, as well as managing critical intergovernmental relationships and district priorities.
Widely respected in the House community, Robert previously served as President of the LGBT Congressional Staff Association and currently sits on the boards of the House Chiefs of Staff Association and the California State Society. A native of Harker Heights, Texas, he is a magna cum laude graduate of Texas A&M University.
Erin Doty — GLASS Lifetime Achievement Award
Erin Doty (she/her) serves as the Health Policy Advisor for Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado. She brings nearly 15 years of experience from the U.S. House of Representatives, where she focused on health care and LGBTQ+ issues and served as Legislative Director for Representatives Raul Ruiz, Filemon Vela, and Heath Shuler.
Originally from Indiana, Erin moved to Washington after graduate school in 2003. While she looked for a job in politics, she bartended at a popular gay bar in Dupont Circle, where a regular customer helped her get a foot in the door with an internship at the DCCC. Throughout her career, Erin has prioritized passing that kindness on and enjoys helping interns and recent graduates navigate the political job market. Outside of work she enjoys reading, listening to records, live music, and theater.
Yesenia Alvarado Henninger — Ally of the Hill Award
With over a decade of experience in federal policy and advocacy, Yesenia Alvarado Henninger (she/her) is Helion Energy’s Deputy Director of Federal Affairs, where she advances policies to support the rapid deployment and scaling of commercial fusion energy. A Houston native, Yesenia began her career in Washington, DC as a Victory Congressional Intern and has since led at the intersection of federal policy, strategic communications, and advocacy.
She has worked in federal advocacy with the late Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, the ACLU, and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, and has also led corporate reputation campaigns for Fortune 500 companies. A twice-named “Best Hill Staffer” by the Washington Blade, Yesenia is the first person of color to serve as President of Q Street, where she champions leadership pipelines for LGBTQ+ policy, political, and public affairs professionals. She has been honored with the Latinx History Project’s Mujeres en el Movimiento Advocacy Award and was named a 40 Under 40 Queer Woman of Washington by the Mayor. Henninger holds a BA in Political Science and Liberal Studies from the University of Houston.
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