Program Overview
Your next opportunity is waiting around the corner. Are you prepared?
The new 119th Congress is here and staff positions are open in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. These positions represent a unique opportunity for professionals like you to advance conservative principles and impact public policy. Ready, Set, HILL! is here to assist you in landing your first Hill job and preparing for success.
Ready, Set, HILL! distills the training and skill-building sessions you need into a full-day, intensive learning program. Heritage's team of instructors are Capitol Hill veterans who teach the entry-level skills you need to be successful in any Hill office. You'll hear from current and former Hill chiefs of staff, skill coaches, and other professionals on a wide range of practical knowledge. Whether you're looking for opportunities as a legislative, communications, or scheduling professional, this program is for you.
Ready, Set, HILL! distills the training and skill-building sessions you need into a full-day, intensive learning program. Heritage's team of instructors are Capitol Hill veterans who teach the entry-level skills you need to be successful in any Hill office. You'll hear from current and former Hill chiefs of staff, skill coaches, and other professionals on a wide range of practical knowledge. Whether you're looking for opportunities as a legislative, communications, or scheduling professional, this program is for you.
What you will learn:
- Opportunities: Who Does What in a Hill Office?
- How the House and Senate Really Work
- Writing Fundamentals for the Hill
- Constituent Communications: The Art of Letter Writing
- Acing the Interview
The next session will be hosted on Friday, September 26th. Applications due on September 19th .
Program Details
FORMAT: Ready, Set, HILL! is available for both in-person and virtual attendance. Space is limited for in-person attendance: early applicants will be prioritized.
Whether virtual or in-person, participants should prepare for a full day of jammed packed programming. The schedule will run 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. All times are EST. Breakfast and lunch will be provided for in-person attendees and the program will include in-class discussion, Q&A, and homework.
Those who fulfill all requirements of the program will receive a certificate of completion. Heritage’s Job Bank will work with credentialed graduates on placement into open staff positions in the U.S. House of Representatives or Senate.
Faculty
Kyle Bonnell is the Assistant Director for the Job Bank and Talent Placement at The Heritage Foundation. Through the Heritage Job Bank, Kyle has placed over a thousand conservatives into key positions on Capitol Hill, in the Executive Branch, and with conservative organizations across the country. He has worked on staff at Heritage for eleven years. He graduated from Miami University with a bachelor's degree in Political Science.
Steve Chartan is the Vice President of Government Relations at The Heritage Foundation. He previously served on Capitol Hill as Chief of Staff to Senator Ted Cruz, serving as his top advisor and leading his official team. Prior to that, Chartan was the founding Executive Director of the House Freedom Caucus. Under the chairmanship of Congressman Jim Jordan, he served as the organization’s lead legislative strategist. Chartan previously served as policy advisor for the Senate Steering Committee under two chairmen, Senator Pat Toomey and Senator Mike Lee. Chartan is a graduate of Duke University.
Mike Connolly is Founder and Principal of Inkling Communications, where he provides writing and strategic services to candidates, senior executive branch officials, U.S. Senators and Representatives, major corporations and nonprofits, the Republican National Committee, and others. He served multiple stints on Capitol Hill, last serving as Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Mike Lee (R-UT).
Tom Jipping is a Senior Legal Fellow in the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation. Previously, he served for 15 years on the staff of U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), including several as his Chief Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He spent the previous 13 years in legal policy positions at Concerned Women for America and the Free Congress Research & Education Foundation. Jipping received a bachelor's degree with honors from Calvin College and both a master's degree in political science and a juris doctorate, cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo. While at SUNY-Buffalo Law School, Tom was a founding member of the Buffalo Federalist Society and served as the Head Note and Comment Editor of the Buffalo Law Review. Before coming to Washington, Tom clerked for Judge William D. Hutchinson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Richard Stern is the Director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation. Prior to his role at Heritage, Stern was a Congressional staffer for over seven years. During that time, he served as a policy staffer for the Republican Study Committee, where he was the staff lead for their Budget and Spending task force and spearheaded their work to create their FY 2020 and FY 2022 federal budgets. He also served as Legislative Director for Representative Tom McClintock of California and was a Legislative Assistant for former Representative Steve King of Iowa. Stern is a graduate of Emory University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.
Have Questions? Email Kyle Bonnell at [email protected]
