Clerk of the House Jeff Trandahl will step down from his post next month to move to the private sector, concluding more than two decades of service on Capitol Hill, knowledgeable sources said Wednesday.
Trandahl, who has served as the Clerk since December 1999, will take over as executive director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization established by Congress in 1984.
House lawmakers praised Trandahl’s service.
“Jeff Trandahl has been an outstanding Congressional public servant for the past 20 years,” said Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). “As the 32nd Clerk of the House of Representatives, he has been effective, efficient, and absolutely professional. While we are sad to see Jeff leave us, our loss is the conservation community’s gain.”
The Clerk did not return a telephone call late Wednesday afternoon.
Trandahl, a University of Maryland alumnus, began his career on the Hill in 1983 as an aide to then-Sen. James Abdnor (R-S.D.).
The Spearfish, S.D., native moved on to the office of Rep. Virginia Smith (R-Neb.) in 1987, working with the House Appropriations Committee, and three years later joined the staff of Rep. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), working with the House Administration Committee.
Trandahl became the assistant to the Clerk of the House in 1995, and, after serving as the acting House Chief Administrative Officer, returned to office as deputy clerk.
Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) appointed Trandahl to head the office in 1998, after then-Clerk Robin Carle resigned in the face of charges that she had misused House resources.
House lawmakers formally elected Trandahl to the post in January 1999, and have re-elected him to three subsequent terms.
“Jeff Trandahl has been a dedicated and responsible servant of the House for 20 years,” added House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) “He cares deeply about the House and its Members, and did an admirable job dealing with the new safety and security issues that have arisen over the past few years. I wish him the best of luck in his new position.”
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Executive Director John Berry announced July 29 that he has accepted the position of director at the National Zoological Park. Friday is expected to be is last day at the foundation.
Erin Billings contributed to this report.
