Upcoming Career Accelerator on Capitol Hill

The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) is hosting the Career Accelerator: What Hiring Managers on the Hill Are Looking For, a bipartisan lunch program on Capitol Hill with generous support from Google. Katch Skills is proud to join as a partner.

Thursday, October 15 · 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM · 2060 Rayburn

RSVP here 

About The Career Accelerator

The Career Accelerator is a cross-sector leadership and learning program exploring how emerging technologies, workforce trends, and evolving skills are changing the way congressional offices and organizations lead, hire, and develop talent. The program brings together emerging and established leaders from government, business, nonprofit, policy, education, and technology organizations for substantive discussions and peer exchange at the intersection of leadership, public policy, technology, and civic impact. Congressional staff and other public-sector professionals are encouraged to participate.

Program highlights

11:00 – 11:10 AM | Arrival & Registration

11:10 – 11:20 AM | Welcome & Opening Remarks

Mary Ann Gomez Orta, President & CEO, Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI)

Chanelle Hardy, Head of Public Policy Stakeholder Engagement, Google

11:20 AM – 12:00 PM | Session 1: Difficult Conversations: The Skill That Gets You Promoted on the Hill

Practical frameworks for managing up, receiving feedback, communicating under pressure, and building the trust that earns greater responsibility.

Speakers:

• Kelli Herrick, Chief Operations Officer, Future Caucus

• Larissa Martinez, Founder & President, Women’s Public Leadership Network

• Joshua Bandoch, Author of How to Get What You Want & SVP of Policy & Research, FREOPP

• Alice Lugo, Senior Counsel, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP

• Liana Guerra, Chief of Staff, Office of Rep. Darren Soto

Moderator: Mary Ann Gomez Orta, President & CEO, CHLI

12:00 – 12:10 PM | Transition to Lunch

12:10 – 12:30 PM | Lunch & Networking: Resources, Skills & Job Opportunities on the Hill

Professional development resources, career pathways, and job search tools available to staff, with moderated networking across the room.

Jeyben Castro, Community Outreach & Engagement Director, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer

12:30 – 1:15 PM | Session 2: The AI Toolkit for Getting Noticed on the Hill

AI has made every resume polished and similar. A practical walk through AI tools, including tools from Google, that help you communicate your skills, close your gaps, and get in front of the right teams.

Speakers:

• Sam Aleman, Civics Outreach Manager, Google

• Alyssa Franco, Director of Operations, Office of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart

• John Salamone, Chief Human Capital Officer, House Human Capital Office, CAO

  
  

Moderator: Laura Maristany, Founder & CEO, Katch Skills

1:15 – 1:55 PM | Session 3: Congressional Hiring Manager Perspectives

A candid conversation with the people doing the hiring: what gets a candidate hired, what quietly gets them passed over, and how to position yourself for your next opportunity.

Speakers:

• Andrew Renteria, Chief of Staff, Office of Rep. David Valadao

• Josh Yearsley, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of Sen. Cortez Masto

• Emily Benavides, VP, Government Affairs, UnitedHealth Group

• Martin Medrano, Chief of Staff, Office of Rep. Gil Cisneros

Moderator: Neri Martinez, Senior Government Relations Consultant, Becker & Poliakoff, P.A.

1:55 – 2:00 PM | Closing Remarks & Learning Journal Sign-Up

RSVP here — space is limited.

This event is organized and hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI), with generous support from Google. Katch Skills is participating as a partner. The event is structured to comply with applicable House and Senate ethics rules. Congressional employees are encouraged to consult their respective ethics guidance or ethics office regarding attendance.