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Noshing with Notables

Carol Ann Siciliano Nosh Participants

This program provides an opportunity for George Washington University students to meet and engage with successful policy practitioners in an informal setting over lunch. Our "Notables" are public policy experts from the government, private sector, academia, and non-profit entities.

Open to the GW community. Registration is required, as space is limited and lunch is provided.

Previous Noshes:

Ambassador Charles English, former U.S. Diplomat for the Department of State, February 19, 2016 

Heather Richards, consultant on conservation acquisitions and mitigation for The Conservation Fund, January 29, 2016 

Brenda Aguilar, Chief of the Food, Health, and Labor Branch of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), November 17, 2015

Dorothy Bennett Hoffman, Director of U.S. Health Policy, Eli Lilly, October 15, 2015

Christine Kymn, Chief Economist & Director of the Office of Economic Research within the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, September 25, 2015

Carol Ann Siciliano, Associate General Counsel, Cross-Cutting Issues Law Office, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, February 13, 2015

Amy Farrell, Vice President of Market Development at America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA), October 10, 2014 

Bridget C.E. Dooling, Analyst at Office of Management and Budget, September 19, 2014

Maeve P. Carey, Analyst at the Congressional Research Service, March 28, 2014

Alexander Hunt, Branch Chief in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, February 14, 2014

Donna McLean, (former) Assistant Secretary for Budget and Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Transportation, January 17, 2014

Stuart Shapiro, Associate Professor and Director of the Public Policy Program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University, November 08, 2013, 

Regina Galer, Director, Office of Weapons Material Protection, U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration, October 11, 2013

Marcus Peacock (Former) Minority Staff Director at the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget & Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, September 13, 2013

Colleen Shogan, Deputy Director, Congressional Research Service, April 26, 2013

Boris Bershteyn, General Counsel, Office of Management and Budget, March 22, 2013.

Maureen Ohlhausen, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission, February 15, 2013. 

Virginia Huth, Director of the Office of General Services Acquisition Policy, Integrity & Workforce, General Services Administration, January 18, 2013.

David Goldston, Director of Government Affairs, Natural Resources Defense Council, November 30, 2012.

Peter Linquiti & Theresa Gullo, George Washington University & Congressional Budget Office, October 12, 2012.

Shawne McGibbon, General Council, Administrative Conference of the United States. September 21, 2012.

Lisa Robinson, Independent Consultant and Cost-Benefit Regultory Expert, March 25, 2011.

Cindy Skrzycki, Business Correspondent and Senior Lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh. April 8, 2011.

Dan Beck, Director of External & Advocacy Communications at the Boeing Company, February 11, 2011

Kameran L. Onley, Director, U.S. Marine Policy at The Nature Conservancy, January 28, 2011

Donald R. Arbuckle, Professor of Public Affairs, University of Texas, Dallas and former Deputy Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management & Budget, December 10, 2010

Brian F. Mannix, former EPA Associate Administrator for Policy, Economics and Innovation, November 12, 2010

Susan Offutt, Chief Economist in the Government Accountability Office, and former Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, October 15, 2010

Kevin Neyland, Deputy Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management & Budget, September 17, 2010

Margaret Spellings, President & CEO, Margaret Spellings & Company, Friday, April 16, 2010

Jim Voytko, President, R.V. Kuhns & Associates, Inc. and former Chief Executive Officer of Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, Friday, March 26, 2010

Sally Katzen, Executive Managing Director, the Podesta Group and former Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, White House Office of Management & Budget, Friday, March 12, 2010

Katherine Dawes, Director, Evaluation Support Division at US EPA, Friday, February 26, 2010

Susan E. Dudley, Director, GW Regulatory Studies Center and former Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, White House Office of Management & Budget, Friday, January 22, 2010

Marcus Peacock, Project Director, Pew Charitable Trusts, and former Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Friday, November 13, 2009

Donna McLean, Vice Chair, Board of Amtrak, and former Chief financial Officer, U.S. Department of Transportation. Friday, October 16, 2009

Top 10 Workplace "Best Practices" from Notable Colleen Shogan, Deputy Director, Congressional Research Service

1)   Treat other people with respect, as you’d like to be treated.

2)   Try to get to know something about the people you work with.  You don’t have to be friends, and in some cases, you shouldn’t be friends.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t know details about their likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc.  If you know someone on a personal level, it’s often much easier to work with them when the chips are down.

3)   Every day is a new day.  Don’t hold grudges.

4)   Find a mentor, at least early in your career.  You need someone you can talk with who understands your goals and has walked the road before you.

5)   Take chances.  Perhaps not every day, but you need to put yourself out there to succeed.  Don’t be afraid to fail.  When you do fail, don’t let it paralyze you.

6)   If you think you shouldn’t say something or write something in email, don’t do it.  Caution is always best.  Draft the email – put it in your “draft” box, and then an hour or two later, read it again and see if you still want to send it.

7)   Don’t be afraid to switch focus, if you have the opportunity in your career.  Simply because you’re on one track doesn’t mean you have to stay on it your whole life.  People in DC switch areas of focus all the time. 

8)   Don't sweat the small stuff. Choose your battles wisely. Err on the side of being a team player.

9)   Work in DC isn't 9 to 5. Learn how to deal with it. Sometimes, you need to work in the evenings or the weekend to get actual thinking done.  People who clock in and out will not advance.

10)  Don’t stay in a job that’s making you unhappy.  No job is perfect, but life is short.  There’s usually something better around the corner, even if it takes you a while to find it.  When the problems outweigh the advantages of the job, it’s time to move on.

Colleen Shogan gave this list of top 10 workplace best practices to TSPPPA students on April 26, 2013. Colleen Shogan is the Deputy Director of the Congressional Research Service.