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Young staff on board in McHenry's office |
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By The Hill Staff
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Posted: 04/26/05 12:00 AM [ET] |
When you work for the youngest member of Congress, chances are you will be younger than your boss. Such is the case with the relatively new hires in Rep. Patrick McHenry’s (R-N.C.) office, where only two aides surpass the boss in age. McHenry is 29. His chief of staff, Dee Stewart, is 31, and his legislative director, Jon Causey, is also 31. The rest are fresh-faced twenty-somethings.
Not that Stewart looks old. At 31, he is as charismatic as they come and can shout over the walls and keep close tabs on the staff whenever he so desires. Born and raised in Martinsburg, W.Va., he graduated from Campbell University, a small Baptist school 30 miles south of Raleigh in Buies Creek, where he also earned his master’s degree in business administration. (The diplomas hang on the walls).
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Patrick g. Ryan |
| Rep. McHenry’s staffers, back row, from left: Jonathan Collegio, Dee Stewart, Jon Causey, Casey Hastings, Chris Herndon; front row, from left: Monica Farrow, Cendy Gonzalez and Joshua Hess. |
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An old friend of the congressman’s, Stewart says his job with McHenry isn’t permanent. He’s there to help set up the office, but his home is in Raleigh.
Stewart worked on former Sen. Phil Gramm’s (R-Texas) presidential campaign; at one point he was also the executive director of the Iowa Republican Party. He has had his own consulting business for the past four years.
Jonathan Collegio, 28, is the press secretary. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Ore., he graduated from the University of Oregon and earned a master’s in public affairs from Rutgers University. From there, he won a fellowship to work on the editorial page of USA Today. He also spent three years working for Grover Norquist at Americans for Tax Reform.
Collegio first met McHenry in Washington in 1996 at the College Republicans National Committee. He had been involved with the College Republicans while attending the University of Oregon.
Cendy Gonzalez, 22, is the scheduler. Born in Los Angeles and raised in El Paso, Texas, she graduated from the University of Minnesota, Morris. Last May she left college early due to an abundance of credits, and went to work on McHenry’s campaign as an intern. After McHenry won, he hired her to come to Washington.
So far, she’s impressed with Washington and all the well-known lawmakers she gets to interact with on the phone, such as House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas). Today, she says, she almost ran smack into Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio). “You realize your heroes are real people,” she says, clarifying that Kucinich doesn’t necessarily fall into that category.
Joshua Hess, 22, is the first person visitors see when they come through the door. He is a staff assistant. Originally from Martinsburg, W.Va., he graduated from West Virginia University, and spent seven months living in Ireland during his college years. For now, he has put off graduate school, but at some point wants to go to law school. After college, he went to work as a mortgage broker, but in August 2004 left for Washington to be an intern at the Heritage Foundation.
From there, he connected with an old family friend, Stewart, the chief of staff, and was hired in January.
Monica Farrow, 24, is a legislative correspondent. A native of Columbia, S.C., she worked on McHenry’s campaign as his political director. She graduated from Auburn University, in Auburn, Ala. She has been adjusting well to Washington life. “I just like seeing the sites and hanging out with friends,” she says.
Chris Herndon, 27, is a legislative assistant who arrived in the office in early February. Originally from Dalton, Ga., he graduated from Vanderbilt University and earned a law degree from George Washington University. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf, but says he’s “not as good as [he] would like to be.”
Casey Hastings, 25, is also a legislative assistant. This is her first job on Capitol Hill. She has worked at the Department of Energy and for The Alpine Group, a lobbying firm. She earned her master’s in international affairs from George Washington University. “It was time to try the Hill,” she says. “It was definitely the next step.”
Causey is the legislative director. Born and raised in Greensboro, N.C., he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a master’s in exercise and sports science from Appalachian State University.
Previously, he was a legislative assistant for Rep. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.), a legislative correspondent for former Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) and a staff assistant for Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.). Asked if he likes working on the Hill, he says jokingly, “According to my wife, no. Generally she’d like me to make a living.” On a more serious note, he says that working on the Hill means new things every day. |
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