Get to know Marie Baldassarre 🎙️
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Get to know Marie Baldassarre outside of politics in a new episode of Capitol Spotlight, a video and audio podcast from CNCT.
Working her way up as a Comms staffer, Marie Baldassarre is the Chief of Staff for Congressman Ro Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley. As Members of Congress become more reliant on Comms and Digital staffers in the age of social media, Marie gained trust in her office by learning her member's priorities and amplifying his vision in a digital setting.
As a Chief of Staff, Marie is focused on creating a positive workplace for everyone. She prides herself in offering direct feedback, building relationships outside the office, and staying open-minded to other perspectives.
💜 One important discussion point in this episode: Dating across the aisle. Now that's bipartisanship! Don't miss Marie share her experience.
Get to know more about Marie...
🏠 Home state: New York
🎓 College: Kenyon College (Psychology)
🔗 CNCT with Marie about... The benefits of meditation!
Listen to Marie's episode to hear her thoughts on meditation, moving from Comms staffer to Chief of Staff, creating a positive office environment, dating in the district, and more!romotes work-life balance in his office, the things he likes to make, and much more.
More about Marie
We all know that the Hill can be a stressful place to work. It's very important to be intentional about your time and mindset or else everything could fall apart! In this episode, Marie shares a little bit about her key to staying centered: meditation.
🧘♀️ "I have actually started meditating to help me regulate my emotions, stay calm, and make sure I'm creating a positive environment ... If I have a meeting I'm stressed about - or whatever I'm stressed about - I'll try [meditating] right before to get that [positive] mindset going in," she says.
In addition to meditating, Marie also enjoys directing theater productions. One of her proudest moments as director was putting on a production of This Is Our Youth with some of her friends.
🎭 Marie mentions how giving notes to the actors, overseeing casting and the set, and creating a positive atmosphere backstage are all responsibilities not too different from those of a Chief of Staff.
Want to hear more from Marie? Hear some of her Hill insights in our Climbing the Hill panel recording.