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House Alumni Group Re-Elects President

Bill Black was recently re-elected to serve a second 12-month term as president of the House Administrative Assistants Alumni Association.

Black, currently the director of public affairs at Fleishman Hillard, is a 15-year Capitol Hill veteran. He came to Washington with Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to serve as his legislative assistant from 1981 to 1986. There, Black was responsible for agriculture, banking, judiciary and transportation issues. He also served as chief of staff for three House Democrats, Virginia Rep. Jim Olin (1986-92), California Rep. Jane Harman (1993) and Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer (1995).

Black said he still sees his tenure on Capitol Hill as a special time in his life. The alumni association is a great opportunity to keep in touch and for the members not local to the Washington area to still feel a connection, he added.

“Probably one of the most common questions we get is, do you miss it? Do you miss being on the Hill?” he said. “All of us would answer yes, we do miss it. You move on to a different chapter, but we all feel committed to the House and everyone looks back on it fondly.”

The association is a nonprofit, nonpolitical professional association composed of former administrative assistants in the House. Formed in 1988, the association serves as a resource for current administrative assistants and chiefs of staff in the House. Regular events include “newsmaker lunches,” which are a way for the members of the association to get together with current House administrative assistants and other important political figures. In the past, guests have included former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), political analyst Charlie Cook and former Sen. George McGovern (D-S.D.). The association’s board members meet once a month formally to discuss current issues and have elections.

— Amanda Arcuri

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