Feature Spring 2016 Park Tudor School
“Campaign life is fun, but it’s hectic and it’s a lot of work,” he says. In Florida, Miles was working about 90 hours per week, including weekends. Noting that the average age of a campaign staffer is under 30, he says he enjoyed the camaraderie. “We were all young people committed to what we’re doing – it’s just a fun environment.” Because he was the only Hoosier on staff, the campaign sent him back home to ensure Bush had the required 4,500 signatures—500 per congressional district—to be included on the Indiana ballot. Miles attended Republican Party events throughout the state to gather those signatures. After achieving that goal, the campaign asked him to move to New Hampshire, home of the nation’s first primary. But his priority was college graduation, so he made the decision to resign and head back to DePauw. A few months later, Bush suspended his campaign. As for the future, Miles says he would like to work in Washington for a House committee or as a congressional staffer, and he’s also entertaining the idea of working on a state campaign. Robbie Goad ’04 You never know where a chance encounter might lead. An unexpected meeting at a social event helped lead to Robbie Goad’s position as senior policy adviser to U.S. Rep. Luke Messer. Following graduation from Indiana University with a B.A. degree in political science, Goad landed an internship with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. While there, he was introduced to Messer—who was launching his campaign for Congress—at a wedding. Messer encouraged him to apply for a position with the campaign, and a month later Goad joined the campaign as finance director and fundraiser. After Messer’s election victory in 2012, he invited Goad to join his Washington, DC staff, where he holds the position of senior policy adviser. A career in government is “not something I always thought I wanted to do, but I’ve always been interested in politics,” Goad says. He relishes the competitive aspect of working on Capitol Hill and the opportunity to help shape public policy. For the last three and a half years, Goad has managed a full plate. His primary responsibilities include meeting with lobbyists and constituents, prepping the Congressman for hearings, marking up House bills, and helping to craft policy. On most days, he
Robbie Goad (right) listens as his boss, U.S. Rep. Luke Messer, speaks in support of a bill regarding streamlining information-reporting requirements for colleges and universities.
spends six to eight hours writing—drafting talking points, committee statements and op-ed pieces. He counts among career highlights the drafting of two bills that passed the House floor: one, a financial services bill dealing with bank liquidity requirements, the other related to streamlining data-reporting requirements for higher-education institutions. Education issues are among Goad’s area of responsibility; he organized a forum for high-ranking congressional leaders during National School Choice Week. A challenge of the job is that “there’s absolutely no continuity – you have to be willing to adapt every single day or really any hour, depending on the circumstances,” he says. Goad generally works 11 to 12 hours a day; when Congress is in session, his work may stretch far into the night. He believes his Park Tudor education “definitely helped” him to manage his heavy writing load at work, as well as to hone his leadership, teamwork and communication skills. One of his current work teammates is fellow Park Tudor alum Molly Newell ’09, who also serves as a policy adviser to Rep. Messer. As for the future, Goad intends to continue his career in politics. “I don’t know if I’d run for office myself,” he says. “What’s next may be in the form of lobbying or advocacy or one issue in particular.” Jennifer Wagner ’97 There’s no other way to say it: Jennifer Wagner simply loves politics. She’s built her entire communications career around campaigns and government. Founder and owner of Mass Ave Public Relations in Indianapolis and a weekly Democratic political commentator on TV stations Fox59 and CBS4, Wagner also has served as communications director for the Indiana Democratic Party and for U.S. Rep. André Carson. “I love politics because there are clear winners and losers, and there will always be another election. You have to stay on your game, and you have to have a concise, understandable message,”
Jennifer Wagner with presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a political event in Carmel, IN.
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