Rena Diamond, Constituent Service Representative, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)

Jim Grant, Mail Manager, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID)

The Honorable Karen L. Haas, Clerk of the House (former), U.S. House of Representatives

Susan Olson, Deputy Chief of Staff and General Counsel, Sen. John Boozman (R-AR)

Reynold Schweickhardt, Director of Technology Policy (former), U.S. House of Representatives

Franz Wuerfmannsdobler, Deputy Chief of Staff (former), Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-DE)

Rena Diamond, Constituent Service Representative, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)

Rena Diamond has spent 31 years working for the U.S. House of Representatives as Constituent Service Representative and Caseworker for three Members of Congress from New York, including the late Representative Stephen Solarz, Representative Jerrold Nadler, and Representative Hakeem Jeffries.

Called "remarkably humble and modest," she joined Rep. Jeffries' team with an extensive background in handling constituent cases. Since January 2013, she has worked on 3,957 cases on a range of issues including veterans and immigration. In the last five years alone, Diamond's efforts have saved almost two million dollars for the constituents in the 8th District of New York. Her extensive experience in casework and knowledge of the district has enabled Rep. Jeffries' office to expand the list of resources offered to veterans.

In December 2006, Former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind recognized Diamond for her service to the community in her role as Community Representative for Rep. Nadler. Thirteen years later, she is recognized as a Lifetime Achievement finalist for her tenacity and humility, with her work ethic serving as the model new and current team members seek to emulate.

Jim Grant, Mail Manager, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID)

Jim Grant has worked nearly 36 years in the United States Senate through numerous Congresses and countless technological, state, and national changes. He joined Senator Crapo's office 20 years ago as the Mail Manager after having served two of Crapo's predecessors, Senator Steve Symms and Senator Dirk Kempthorne.

Often unseen, the Mail Manager is absolutely critical to the function of any congressional office, and Grant's work reflects a clear understanding of this important job. In 2018 alone, he processed over 84,000 incoming pieces of mail from constituents in Idaho asking about federal policy matters. Grant's dedication to his job and his state led Senator Crapo to submit a tribute to him in the Congressional Record that included commendations from Senators Kempthorne and Symms.

Grant played a key role in Senator Crapo's 2014 and 2015 statewide veterans' surveys to learn about the needs of Idaho's veterans, their families, and their caretakers. Grant was critical in the effort to elicit responses from constituents, as well as in processing answers received. These surveys resulted in a 69-page report on ways to improve veterans benefits in Idaho. Information gathered also led directly to Senator Crapo's introduction of legislation to improve the lives all veterans, including a bill signed into law last year to streamline veteran health care delivery systems.

The Honorable Karen L. Haas, Clerk of the House (former), U.S. House of Representatives

Karen Lehman Haas served as Clerk of the House twice, first from 2005 through 2007 under Speaker Dennis Hastert, and most recently under Speakers John Boehner, Paul Ryan, and Nancy Pelosi until February 2019. Haas oversaw the Legislative Resource Center that makes legislative and membership information available to the public, the Office of House Employment Counsel, the Legislative Computer Systems which maintain the electronic voting system on the House floor, and the Republican and Democratic Cloakrooms.

She also served as the House's Archivist, Librarian, and the Curator of the House's extensive art collection and historic artifacts. She has been universally recognized by Members on both sides of the aisle for her dedication and service to Congress and the country.

Her career on Capitol Hill began in 1984 working for then-Minority Leader Robert H. Michel. She went on to serve as floor assistant to Speaker Hastert in 1999, executive director of the House Republican Conference, and minority staff director of the Small Business Committee. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree in political science and a minor in economics.

Haas retired in April 2019, and lives in Maryland with her husband and two children.

Susan Olson, Deputy Chief of Staff and General Counsel, Sen. John Boozman (R-AR)

For more than 30 years, Susan Olson has served Congress as a House Chief of Staff, committee counsel, and a Senate Deputy Chief of Staff and General Counsel. She began her career with Congress when Representative Doug Bereuter (R-NE) hired her away from Nebraska State Speaker's office. She served for 17 years as a legislative assistant, legislative director, and Chief of Staff. During her tenure with Bereuter, she also served as the Secretary of the House Delegation to the British American Parliamentary Group from 1998 to 2000 and Secretary of the House NATO Parliamentary Assembly Delegation. She moved from there to the House Ethics Committee where she was Legal Counsel from 2004-2011.

Olson joined Senator John Boozman's (R-AR) staff as Deputy Chief of Staff and General Counsel when he was elected in 2011. One anecdote sums up her commitment to the people she serves. An older gentleman from Arkansas confined to a wheelchair wanted to attend the 2017 presidential inauguration because it was on his bucket list. He began asking for tickets two years in advance and called Olson every month for a status report. She was unfailing courteous and ultimately obtained tickets for him. As Senator Boozman said in his Congressional Record tribute, "She is a trusted advisor, but more importantly, a dear friend to me and to everyone on my staff in Washington and Arkansas...She takes a personal interest in everyone she meets, from staff and the countless men and women she has worked with over the years during her time on the Hill."

Regardless of what office she has been serving, Susan's knowledge, determination and warm personality have helped her earn the respect and admiration of members and staff alike.

Reynold Schweickhardt, Director of Technology Policy (former), U.S. House of Representatives

Reynold Schweickhardt began his congressional service in 1995 working for the Committee on House Administration in various high IT and cyber related positions including; Deputy Staff Director, Subcommittee Staff Director and Director of Technology. He also worked as the Chief of Staff, CIO and Chief of Technology Officer for the Government Printing Office.

Schweickhardt has modernized the House of Representatives by making it more efficient and secure. He led the creation for (1) DOCS.HOUSE.GOV to standardize public access to a permanent repository for documents from all House committees (2) the Legislative Branch Cyber Security Working Group that includes the House, Senate and 7 other Legislative Branch offices; (3) the Congressional APP challenge which encourages middle school and high school students to learn computer coding and pursue a career in computer science through district-by-district competitions; (4) a multi-year Legislative Drafting Modernization Project with the House Office of Legislative Counsel and the Office of Law Revision Counsel; and countless other projects. He also organized and moderated six annual Legislative Data & Transparency conferences with internal and external stakeholders.

Schweickhardt has represented the U.S. on a global scale in the cyber security and technology world. He created a cyber-peer group consisting of the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and the parliaments of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, a group which he chaired from 2018-2019.

In May of this year, Schweickhardt joined the General Services Administration as Senior Technology Advisor.

Franz Wuerfmannsdobler, Deputy Chief of Staff (former), Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-DE)

Franz Wuerfmannsdobler has spent over 20 years in Congress, beginning as a legislative assistant for the late Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) in June 1998. He spent four years advising Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), then chair of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, on energy, environment, climate change, and natural resource issues. In March 2011, he took a job as a senior policy advisor for Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and was later promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff, developing strategic initiatives on bipartisanship priorities and initiating projects to improve internal management structures and systems.

During his Senate tenure, Wuerfmannsdobler worked on numerous legislative initiatives such as the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Energy Independence Act, and the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act. He is recognized for his near-complete knowledge of the legislative history of key energy issues. Locally, he helped expand the boundary of the Harpers Ferry National Historic Park in West Virginia, expanded/added six wilderness areas in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia, and helped organize six energy summits in North Dakota.

Of note, he has mentored at least 20 junior staff members during his congressional career, teaching Appropriations 101 classes, initiating brown bag lunches with interns, and hosting an annual party of all the fellows he has mentored. One former fellow wrote, "Franz's direct mentorship over my one-year fellowship helped me author and co-author several pieces of legislation - of which about 5 were eventually passed into law."

Wuerfmannsdobler left the Hill in 2019 and is now a senior advisor at the Bipartisan Policy Center.