WASHINGTON, DC – For the 11th year in a row, The Ripon Society and The Franklin Center for Global Policy Exchange held their annual bipartisan luncheon honoring the Schedulers and Executive Assistants in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate who, in the words of Ripon and Franklin President & CEO Jim Conzelman, “play an invaluable role in keeping Congress functioning.”
“Day in and day out, through endless requests and an ever-changing agenda, the Schedulers and Executive Assistants in the United States House and Senate manage to do the impossible,” Conzelman stated in remarks to open the annual event, which was held this past Friday. “This is the 11th year we’ve been hosting this luncheon in honor of the group of hardworking Congressional staff members who we call the ‘Unsung Heroes of Capitol Hill.’
“Your job is often thankless, but it has not gone unnoticed, and both Congress and the country are better off because of all you do. You play an invaluable role in keeping Congress functioning and for that, we owe you our gratitude.”
According to Conzelman, Friday’s luncheon was attended by a crowd of over 70 Schedulers and Executive Assistants. The guest speaker for the event was veteran congressional staff member Sharon Soderstrom, who has spent more than a decade serving as the top aide to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. In her remarks, Soderstrom spoke about her own career on Capitol Hill, and the important role that Executive Assistants and Schedulers play in keeping the trains running on time.
Following her remarks, Conzelman followed another tradition of the annual luncheon – naming the top Schedulers and Executive Assistants as selected by members of The Ripon Society and Franklin Center.
“Every year we do this,” Conzelman said, “and every year the responses are so overwhelming that we just cannot keep the list to 10 – and this year is no different. The individuals here today from both sides of the aisle were nominated because of their unwavering commitment and dedication to government service. So, it is now my honor to recognize the ‘Top 30 of 2022!’”
Those honored this year include:
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Sara Adams – with Congressman Steve Scalise (LA-1);
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Lauren Allen – with Senator Shelley Moore Capito (WV);
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Amanda Baldwin – with Congressman Michael Burgess (TX-26);
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Lili Benzel – with Congressman John Joyce (PA-13);
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Per Bergstrom – with Congressman Rick Larsen (WA-2);
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Lindy Birch Kelly – with Congressman James Clyburn (SC-6);
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Ansley Boylan – with Congressman Larry Bucshon (IN-8);
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Christine Callaghan – with Congressman Tom Emmer (MN-6);
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Richard Chalkey – with Congresswoman Nancy Mace (SC-1);
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Rachel Chasalow – with Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38);
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Kyla Cole – with Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-3);
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Caroline Courville – with Congresswoman Julia Letlow (LA-5);
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Paris Curry – with Congressman Kelly Armstrong (ND-AL);
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Lindsay Dargusch – with Senator Todd Young (IN);
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Julianna Dinsmore – with Senator Joni Ernst (IA);
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Jessica Harrison – with Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-8);
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Amanda Kepplin – with Congressman Don Bacon (NE-2);
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Andrea Morales – with Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25);
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David Nelson – with Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-18);
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Rick Nelson – with Congressman Dan Newhouse (WA-4);
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Karli Plucker – with Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5);
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Kelly Schulz – with Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-1);
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Angela Schulze – with Senator Thom Tillis (NC);
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Suzanne Scruggs – with Congressman Fred Upton (MI-6);
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Alli Smith – with Congresswoman Stephanie Bice (OK-5);
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Katie Tomko – with Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12);
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Grace Tricomi – with Congressman Patrick McHenry (NC-10);
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Courtney Trigg – with Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-3);
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Anna Waterkotte – with Congressman Brad Wenstrup (OH-2); and,
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Kathi Wise – with Senator John Barrasso (WY)
Conzelman – who spent 26 years serving as the Chief of Staff for former Congressman Mike Oxley (R-OH) -- concluded the luncheon by once again expressing his appreciation to those in attendance and the jobs they do each day.
“On behalf of The Ripon Society and the Franklin Center,” he said, “let me once again say, ‘THANK YOU!’ THANK YOU for your hard work. And, perhaps most importantly, THANK YOU for serving your country in one of the most important institutions in the world – the United States Congress.”
The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP’s success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.
Founded in 1978, The Franklin Center for Global Policy Exchange is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to enhancing global understanding of important international issues. The Franklin Center brings together Members of the U.S. Congress and their international parliamentary counterparts as well as experts from the Diplomatic corps, foreign officials, senior private sector representatives, scholars, and other public policy experts. Through regular conferences and events where leading international opinion leaders share ideas, the Franklin Center promotes enlightened, balanced, and unbiased international policy discussion on major international issues.
For additional photos from the event, please click here.
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