Katie West
Press Secretary
House Energy & Commerce Committee
Want to meet the Press Secretary who has a wall of flat bill hats?
Oh, you should talk to Katie West!
Katie West is Press Secretary for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, working under Chairman Brett Guthrie. Although she works in comms, it's important to note that Katie works for the health portfolio – a policy area she’s very passionate about.
Originally, Katie moved to D.C. with a part-time internship. She took the “coffee circuit” very seriously and landed a full-time role. Eventually, the opportunity opened up to work as a Staff Assistant for her home Member, Congressman David Schweikert. She quickly worked her way up to Comms Director and looks back really fondly on her time in that office.
Now, on the Energy and Commerce Committee and with Chairman Guthrie, Katie gets to mix her expertise in comms with her passion for health policy (and on a great team, too).
Katie & Team Guthrie on a Dome Tour
🌟 “Working for Chairman Guthrie has just been a dream. He’s been voted the nicest Member of Congress … and I think that really shows. Working for him has very much been a shining light while working here,” Katie says.
On the committee, Katie works with six other comms people – which means there’s always someone in the office to lean on. Early on in her time with the committee, Katie even got to bond with her comms team and make her “favorite Hill memory.”
😴 “My second week on the Energy and Commerce Committee was actually our reconciliation hearing … I think I was up at 6 a.m. on May 13th and I didn’t go to sleep until 6:30 p.m. on the 14th – other than maybe a 20-minute nap … That was an experience for the books,” Katie says.
Only on the Hill would someone describe a two-day bender of no sleep as a favorite memory!
Her Backstory
🏠 Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ
🎓 College & Major: University of Arizona (Journalism)
🔗 CNCT with Katie about…
Favorite Georgetown Flea Market spots!
Her love of Tyler, the Creator
Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy
The best places to thrift
Katie’s Guide on How to CNCT
“Don’t talk about work! You’ll come to realize that so many people are dying to talk about something else,” Katie says.
In a town where work is the go-to conversation topic, Katie thinks the key to genuine connection is getting interested in what other people are interested in.
“Even if it’s not something for you, showing interest in other people’s things is a good effort,” she says.
🟣 With those in the opposite party…
Katie comes from a friend group with a diverse scope of political beliefs. To her, it’s been refreshing to see that most people “believe in a lot of the same things.”
“It comes down to the type of person they are, not who they voted for. Go into [bipartisan interactions] with your walls down, not defensive. You don’t want to be the type of person who thinks they’re better than someone else,” Katie says.
❤️ Katie’s Favorites
Coffee Spot: Tatte
Happy Hour: Morini Mondays at Osteria Morini
Brunch Spot: Billy Hicks in Georgetown
TV Show: New Girl
Movie: The Social Network
Katie’s Capitol Corner
🌮 Cafeteria Order: CHA’s Chicken Wrap (and she’s excited for Panera to open!)
📝 Best Out-of-Office Workplace: Tatte
👔 Hill Closet, Sponsored by: Thrifting! Katie recommends “Unique” in Falls Church.
🙏 My Hill Holy Grail: Her Nee Doh Cube, Stanley Cup, and “chopping it up” with coworkers
Long-term Career Goals 💭
In D.C., the career possibilities are endless and Katie has a few ideas of where she wants to end up.
In the long-run, she would love to be somewhere where she can write for fun. She has her sights set on her own column in Harper’s BAZAAR, a historic and well-established fashion magazine.
For now, Katie is focused on going deeper into the health policy sphere. She wants to track what agencies are doing, learn from counterparts in health policy, and find areas where she can make a difference.
With all the opportunities that the city presents, Katie encourages those starting their career to “not feel pigeonholed” into one field or another. You can always combine career interests (like Katie has) or pivot fields entirely.
📚Katie’s Reading List
101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
Some Kind of Perfect by Krista & Becca Ritchie
Staffer Advice
Katie (age six) & her mom at the Capitol.
“You can’t speak in certainties in this city. By that, I mean you can think you know where your career (or life for that matter) is headed or where you want it to go, but you could be presented with an opportunity that will shift the trajectory of your career for the better. And sometimes you’ve got to be willing to listen to that uncomfortability and take the leap.”
-Katie West