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Stennis Congressional Staff Fellows Appendix John Righter Deputy Staff Director Senate Committee on the Budget Roundtable Resources 111th Congress Kristen Sarri Democratic Professional Staff Roundtables were conducted at the National Archives and the Newseum in Edward Hild Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Washington, DC and at the National Constitution Center and Omni at Independence Legislative Director Coast Guard Subcommittee Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski Senate Committee on Commerce, Guest experts who met with the Stennis Fellows during the roundtables were: Science and Transportation Leigh Hildebrand ★ Sarah Binder, Professor of Political Science at George Washington University and a Sanders Adu Assistant Parliamentarian Lisa Sherman Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution; Staff Director and Counsel Office of the Senate Parlimentarian Chief of Staff ★ Michael X. Delli Carpini, Dean of the Annenberg School of Communication at the Domestic Monetary U.S. Representative Susan Davis Policy Subcommittee Joshua Johnson University of Pennsylvania; Professional Staff Member ★ Mickey Edwards, former U.S. Representative, currently Vice President of the House Committee Elizabeth Stanley Senate Committee on Energy Aspen Institute and visiting lecturer at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and on Financial Services Chief of Staff and Natural Resources U.S. Representative Nita Lowey International Affairs at Princeton University; Robert A. Cochran ★ David Eisenhower, Public Policy Fellow at the Annenberg School for Communica- Charles Kieffer Chief of Staff Nien Su Clerk tion and the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania; U.S. Representative Buck McKeon Republican Staff Director ★ Homeland Security Subcommittee Pat Griffin, Academic Director of the Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute for Subcommittee on Asia, Pacific the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University and Pamela Day Senate Committee and Global Environment Chief of Staff on Appropriations Partner at Griffin Williams Critical Point Management House Committee U.S. Representative Don Young ★ John Lapinski, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the on Foreign Affairs Jessica Lewis University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Elections Unit at NBC News; Ken Flanz National Security Advisor ★ Askia Suruma Marjorie Margolies, former U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania and currently Legislative Director Office of the Deputy Staff Director President of Women’s Campaign International; U.S. Senator Mike Crapo Senate Majority Leader House Committee ★ Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project; on Ways and Means ★ Jennifer Goedke Tom Mahr Jan Schaffer, Executive Director of J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism at Deputy Chief of Staff Legislative Director the University of Maryland; Julie Tippens U.S. Representative Lynn Woolsey U.S. Senator Kent Conrad ★ Frank Sesno, Director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Chief of Staff U.S. Representative David Wu Washington University; Paul Grove Damon Nelson ★ Jim Snider, President of iSolon.org. Clerk Deputy Chief of Staff David Watkins State, Foreign Operations, and and Legislative Director Staff Director Prior to the roundtables the Stennis Fellows convened at the National Conservation Related Programs Subcommittee U.S. Representative Devin Nunes National Parks, Forests and Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, West Virginia for a workshop on using Senate Committee Public Lands Subcommittee dialogue to advance understanding and achieve better decisions, and also to finalize their on Appropriations Richard Patrick Floor Assistant/ House Committee learning agenda for the roundtables. The Stennis Fellows returned to the NCTC toward Appropriations Assistant on Natural Resources the end of the program to synthesize what they had learned across the roundtables and Kate Hallahan to consider implications for the future of Congress. Clerk U.S. Representative Ed Pastor REFLECTIONS Lynne Weil Subcommittee on Transportation, Communications Director HUD, Related Agencies Martha Scott Poindexter Minority Staff Director House Committee ON GOVERNING RESPONSIBILITY House Committee Senate Committee on Agriculture, on Foreign Affairs on Appropriations Nutrition and Forestry Debra Bailey Whitman AND CAMPAIGN POLITICS T.A. Hawks Randi Reid Majority Staff Director Chief of Staff Legislative Director Senate Special Committee STENNIS Center for Public Service U.S. Senator Thad Cochran U.S. Senator Mike Enzi on Aging Box 9629 Mississippi State, MS 39762-9629 Ph: (662) 325-8409 Fax: (662) 325-8623 111th Congress Stennis Fellows www.stennis.gov STENNIS Center for Public Service The 111th Congress John C. Stennis Congressional Staff Fellows came together across party lines from both chambers of Congress to examine the core theme of Balancing Governing Respon- Public Engagement and Media Building Trust Within Congress to Earn Public Trust sibility and Campaign Politics. Nominated by Members of Congress and selected by an independent selection committee, the 30 staff leaders with over 300 years combined experience on Capitol Hill began meeting together in July 2009. The objective was to engage in real dialogue and build trust across the boundaries of party and chamber, and to develop and explore an To engage the public more fully in the governing process, not just in campaigns; and to encourage balanced media coverage To build and maintain the level of trust, both among Members and between the public and Congress, on which effective agenda they and others could pursue to improve the balance between governing and campaigning in Congress. of governance issues. In the current environment, citizens are seen more as targeted voters than as engaged and informed partners governing depends. Campaigning can undermine that trust both among Members and with the public. Despite vastly different political perspectives, the Stennis Fellows were able to discover significant common ground. who are integral to the governing process. And media (including new media) too often report governance issues principally in the con- They initially identified three broad questions to pursue together related to the theme of Balancing Governing Responsibility text of the permanent campaign. EXAMPLES OF STEPS THAT COULD BE EXPLORED TO ADVANCE THIS INITIATIVE and Campaign Politics: EXAMPLES OF STEPS THAT COULD BE EXPLORED TO ADVANCE THIS INITIATIVE ★ Create more opportunities for dialogue and relationship-building among both Members and staff (including lunches, dinners, non-partisan meetings on shared interests, bipartisan travel, recreational activities, and community service), ★ How have personal relationships and partisanship changed over time within Congress? ★ Use new media and communications technologies to help citizens become better informed and more engaged in and involve families in some of the activities. governing. For example: ★ Give the public a better chance locally to see how Congress can work, for example, encourage more field hearings and ★ Can governing responsibility and campaign demands co-exist productively? ✩ Update and simplify House and Senate rules on the use of the web and social networking tools; public meetings of bipartisan delegations in different localities and engage the public in these meetings (give them a ★ How can Congress strengthen two-way communication with the public and improve ✩ Re-evaluate whether adequate resources are allocated to this function; greater role). governing in the new media environment? ✩ Develop on-line games as one technique for outreach, especially to younger people. ★ Provide opportunities for new Members from different parties to work together. For example, freshman Members ★ Examine the impact of the media on the balance between campaigning and governing, for example: could have their own committee that could foster bipartisan ideas and legislation and have a class agenda. ✩ Encourage development of an independent rating system for media, including new media, on their reliability and ★ Pair Members from different parties and chambers, for example to: ✩ These broad questions provided the framework for a se- demanding and expensive, obstacles to consensus building how well they report on all sides of public issues; Do more outreach to college students, similar to the current Congress to Campus program that sends former Mem- ✩ ries of half-day roundtable discussions where guest experts seem more daunting than ever. Not only does news cover- Convene a conference on the impact of the media (old and new) on Congress; bers of Congress to college campuses; ✩ ✩ were invited to explore the questions with the Fellows.¹ age put more emphasis on conflict, but ever-growing pres- Consider the relationship between Congress and the media as the theme for a future class of Stennis Fellows. Participate in non-partisan meetings on substantive issues (e.g., The Aspen Institute); ★ ✩ Using dialogue and building trust were essential start- sures on Members of Congress to continually raise more Request a CRS/GAO report on what is currently being spent on civic education by government and the private sector. Visit projects together to learn about different parts of the country and their concerns. ★ ★ ing points for the 111th Congress Stennis Fellows. They money for the next election also pulls Members away from Make greater use of the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC)