Top 10 Chiefs of Staff
Chiefs of Staff hold the whole thing together. They manage up, manage down, manage sideways, and somehow still make it look effortless. (Or at least, that's the goal.) These are the ones at the top of the game.
Meet CNCT’s Top 10 Chiefs of Staff on the Hill…
Grant Henry is the kind of boss who means it when he says his door is open. He genuinely listens — to interns, to the district office team, to everyone — and acts on what he hears. He's been known to encourage staff growth even when it means someone leaves for a better opportunity elsewhere. That's a level of selflessness that stands out in DC. District staff from other offices have come through and remarked on how welcoming the team feels. That's not an accident. "Grant is our biggest cheerleader," one nominator writes, and it's clear they mean it.
Running a West Coast office from the East Coast is its own special challenge — your constituents are time zones away, and your day never really ends. Carly Vandegrift handles it without breaking a sweat. She climbed to Senate Chief early in her career, which means she's stayed unusually close to her staff — she knows where everyone is headed professionally and helps them get there. Her team says it best: "She does not shy away from difficult conversations, confronting challenges head-on in a way that lets us know her expectations so we can meet them."
Some offices feel like offices. Alana Lomis' feels like a team. After honing her craft in Rep. Dusty Johnson's office — widely regarded as one of the best cultures on the Hill — she brought that same energy with her to Congressman McCaul's shop. With years of Hill experience and a genuinely personable leadership style, she's the kind of Chief who invests in her people and makes the whole place better just by showing up. As one nominator puts it: "She is truly the best Chief of Staff and sets a great example for the office."
Managing the day-to-day of one of the most watched offices in the House while treating every staffer — regardless of title — like they matter equally? That's a genuinely rare combination. Tasia Jackson pulls it off. Her team describes her as "a resource to all House Democratic Caucus staffers," and notes that she consistently encourages people to prioritize their wellbeing and their families, which on the Hill, is a radical act. She does it all "with poise and grace."
If chaos is the baseline on the Hill, James Hampson’s leadership is the antidote. His nominators describe him as someone with a rare ability to take complex, fast-moving situations and turn them into clear direction, without losing his composure in the process. "Day in and day out, he manages dozens of moving pieces with precision, communicates expectations clearly, and leads with a level of composure that keeps the entire office running smoothly."
Kenneth Cutts has been with Rep. Bishop longer than anyone else on his staff, and yet his tenure hasn't made him territorial, it's made him steady. He knows the district, trusts his team to own their issue areas, and backs them up when it counts. His nominators describe him as someone who doesn't need to throw his weight around to get his point across. "He values people over ego."
Patrick Mocete may be the most nominated Chief on this list — and reading through the submissions, it's easy to see why. His team describes him as calm in chaos, humble in success, decisive when it counts, and genuinely present for every person in the office, including interns. One nominator summed it up well: "He's calm when things are chaotic, gets stuff done without making a show of it, and somehow always has time to help — whether it's a five-alarm fire or a dumb question from a junior staffer."
Jamie DeAtley runs a flat structure, and he means it. There's no task too small for him, no staffer too junior for his time. He reportedly answers the phones and writes memos just like anyone else on the team. One nominator, a former staff assistant, put it plainly: "Jamie is the reason I have been so successful as a staffer on Capitol Hill. He took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. I owe my career and my self-confidence as a staffer to him." Quite the compliment for a leader on the Hill!
Allison Murphy ––another highly nominated chief–– has been with Congressman Van Drew since the very beginning and after years of working together (and a party change), she and the Congressman operate as a genuine team. Her staff describes her as fiercely loyal, politically savvy, and deeply committed to the people she serves — both inside the office and across the district. One nominator wrote that "when the opposing party wishes they had her, it says it all." Another called her "a once-in-a-generation political mind from the state of New Jersey." She is, by all accounts, exactly the kind of Chief that makes a Congressional office run smoothly.
Christina Mahoney was nominated by not one, not two, but four separate staffers — each one more emphatic than the last. One called her "the best Chief on the Hill." Another said Congress would be in a much better place if more Chiefs were like her. She answers phones when staff are out sick, brings treats when interns finish their terms, advocates for equitable pay, and gives honest advice to everyone from the newest hire to the Congressman himself. As one 20-year Hill veteran on her team put it: "We would all follow Christina into battle."