Hill Climbers: Going Through the Paces
Adam Pase is leaving his job as a Hill staffer, but hes not going too far. After spending three and a half years as a senior policy adviser to Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.), Pase is leaving the office to become executive director of the New Democrat Coalition, which is based out of the office of Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.).
Pase, 26, moved to Washington, D.C., four years ago. He worked as a manager of Congressional affairs for the bipartisan consulting firm Twenty-First Century Group before joining Moores office. [IMGCAP(1)]
He is the New Democrats second executive director, replacing Matt Schumaker, who was in the job since February 2007.
Whether its continuing our momentum on health care innovations or reviving our slumping economy, Adam brings the background, experience and know-how that will be important as our coalition continues to grow, Tauscher said in a statement.
The Leawood, Kan., native graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2004 with degrees in philosophy and finance.
Pases favorite memory of his Hill days is meeting Alan Greenspan when he came to testify before the Financial Services Committee.
I was a little star-struck. Pase said, acknowledging that this might come off a little dorky to some but is in fact a [IMGCAP(2)]
big moment for a guy who said he would probably be working at a financial firm on Wall Street if he wasnt working on the Hill.
As the executive director of the 58-member New Democrat Coalition, Pase will be responsible for overall policy coordination.
The opportunity to surround yourself with thought-leaders and to be able to influence public policy, even in a small way, has really been surreal, Pase said of working in Washington. No matter who you are or what you do, your life is somehow affected by politics, so working to improve peoples lives has always seemed like a noble pursuit.
Budget Committee Pluses Up. The Republican staff of the House Budget Committee recently got a new member. Jim Herz signed on as a budget analyst last month. He will be working on energy, natural resources and environmental issues, areas in which he already had an interest.
Responsible energy development requires a healthy respect for the environment. You cannot separate the two, he said.
Originally from Reno, Nev., Herz earned his MBA degree from Rice University in Houston in 2006. He has been in Washington for three years. Before joining the Committee, he worked for the White House Office of Budget Management, where he handled federally owned utilities such as the Tennessee Valley Authority and Power Marketing Administrations.
Send news of hires and promotions on Capitol Hill to climbers@rollcall.com.
