What Can You Ask of Your Federal Representatives?

For many small and mid-size cities, navigating relationships with their congressional representatives can be challenging, especially when lacking the resources to hire a federal lobbyist. In this session, veteran caseworkers Katherine Long and Anne Meeker shared insights from their careers as congressional staffers on what local communities can ask of their congressional representatives.

Panelists fielded questions about all things Congress, from casework to federal funding opportunities to agency relationships and more. This session also offered a brief introduction to Member-Directed Spending (aka Community Project Funding or Earmarks) for leaders in local government unfamiliar with appropriations, and tips on working with congressional offices to address local needs..

Speakers

Lauren Kirk is the Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Jackson, Tennessee, where she leads the community development team and various initiatives to improve the quality of life for all Jackonians. She previously worked with the Historic Clayborn Temple, BLDG (Building) in Memphis, Tennessee. She is board president for Habitat for Humanity Jackson and serves on the advisory council for Keep My Hood Good and the Jackson State Community College Respiratory Care Advisory Board; she is a member of the Star Center’s Business Advisory Group.

Lauren is a proud first generation college graduate with a B.S. in Psychology from Union University, and an M.A. in City and Regional Planning and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Memphis, where she was also a Housing and Community Development Fellow.

Anne Meeker is a civic process and democratic engagement nerd, and a former House district staffer. She was a founding member of the POPVOX Foundation team as Director of Special Initiatives and now serves as Deputy Director. She previously served as Director of Constituent Services for Congressman Seth Moulton, where she worked to use data and technology to deliver smarter casework services to residents of the MA06. Anne holds a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of Oxford (St. Hugh's College), and an MSc in History from the London School of Economics, where she wrote her thesis on presidential memoir. She is also a proud native Clevelander, and will take any opportunity to cheerlead for the 'Land.

Katherine Long has decades of experience as a public servant and an advocate for citizen involvement in government. She had the honor of serving for 15 years in Senator Leahy’s Vermont office, resolving over 4,000 complex cases and speaking with thousands of Vermonters about their experiences with government. As Casework Manager, she led the successful closure of his casework operation after 48 years in office. Her casework portfolio focused on military and veterans affairs, housing, and taxes. She also worked extensively to repatriate American citizens during crisis situations around the world and to relocate our allies from Afghanistan.

Prior to joining Senator Leahy's staff, Katherine was the Director of Public Policy for the Vermont Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (VANPO), a Training Fellow with the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (now Bolder Advocacy), and adjunct faculty at St. Michael’s College, developing and conducting training for nonprofit leaders in advocacy strategies and lobbying rules. She has experience in mental health, energy efficiency, and agriculture, and is proud to have served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger, speaking Zarma and occasional French.

Katherine has a master of public administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, a bachelor of arts in anthropology from Cornell University, and she studied and conducted fieldwork in Nepal with the University of Wisconsin.