If a new legislative director started her new job 10 years ago and wanted some training in her new position, she was pretty much out of luck. The only training the House of Representatives offered back then was some basic software modules or possibly some topic-specific briefings presented by outside nonprofits.

My own experience was similar, starting as a press secretary in the late 1980s and a chief of staff in the late 1990s. You could network with other more experienced staffers, but that was about all there was.

This challenge goes beyond just satisfying the professional development needs of individual staffers. Since each congressional office is like its own “small business,” a better trained employee — whatever job they hold — results in a better outcome for their constituents.

Starting in 2021, things have changed. Now new staff have a range of offerings, from online courses to multiday, position-specific conferences to individual executive coaching. It came about due to a directive of the House Administration Committee and a push led by the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer.

“You have staff that come in, some of them green from college, even those who have been here for years, and these programs help them understand, these are all the things you should be doing,” CAO Catherine Szpindor said. 

Launched under former CAO Phil Kiko, and significantly expanded by Szpindor, each position in a member’s personal office now has a curriculum available. Szpindor looked to her previous experience working in the telecommunications field, porting business practices to a government entity. “Having a business background is very important because we are the business arm of the House,” she said.

The effort really took off, Szpindor said, when House Administration Democratic staff director Jamie Fleet came to her and asked about tapping Lisa Sherman, now deputy CAO, to radically improve professional development. 

Sherman was a 20-year veteran chief of staff in the House, and well known on Capitol Hill for her creative management. She began assembling former senior House staff in 2021 and branded the program “CAO Coach.” In hiring her team, Sherman followed the principle that congressional staffers would only respect guidance and training from a former Capitol Hill staffer. 

Said another way: You can turn a former staffer into a trainer, but you can’t turn a trainer into a former staffer.

“The kind of work we do is like none other. People need to work with someone who’s been in their shoes,” Sherman said. “How to set up an office approval process, who’s going to work on the talking points, what do I do when the member is having a bad day. These are not things you’re going to learn in college or from a book.”

Sherman said the numbers tell the story: More than 3,000 staff have attended conferences, which are offered in Washington and throughout the U.S., making it easier for district staff to attend. CAO Coach has its own video production team and has created more than 700 videos, Sherman said. And the executive coaching team has conducted more than 6,000 sessions with individual House staffers. 

“I think when people attended, and told their member and others about them, it encouraged more individuals to come,” Sherman said.

“You can send out as many Dear Colleagues as you want. They must hear it, see it, and know the connection,” Szpindor added.

The video program has now expanded to include such topics as “How to Host a Veterans Forum,” a primer on staff associations, and a regular podcast called “Dishin’ with the District.” And the in-person bipartisan conferences help staff to connect with other offices. 

“Especially coming out of COVID, we saw a lot of staff who were isolated. The conferences are a space where you can meet other colleagues you would never meet any other way,” Sherman said.

Bradford Fitch is a former Capitol Hill staffer, former CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation and author of “Citizen’s Handbook for Influencing Elected Officials.”