Katherine Clark: “I have been blessed to work with some of the most talented staffers ever to walk the Halls of Congress, but the greater…”

“I have been blessed to work with some of the most talented staffers ever to walk the Halls of Congress, but the greater the blessing, the harder the good-bye. Recently, I bid farewell to my director of operations, Wendy Hamilton, and my senior adviser, Michael Reed, two pillars of the House Democratic Caucus. Let me start with the one and only Wendy Hamilton. I am so pleased she is here with us today in the Chamber. Wendy joined my team back when I was vice chair. I knew I had hired a talented and passionate Hill staffer. She had already completed tours of duty with Pramila Jayapal, Brenda Lawrence, and Kathy Castor. One by one, I also started realizing she had many off-book skills under her belt, whether it was flower arrangements, style advice, or frank and forthright guidance at Sephora. Along the way, she was putting the service in Member Services, becoming something of a celebrity. Everyone she worked with was grateful for Wendy's expert knowledge, her helpful hints, and her deep insight into how to get things done for constituents. More times than I can count, I met a district director halfway across the country, and when I introduced myself as a Congresswoman, they would say: Wait, you work with Wendy Hamilton? I was always proud to say: I sure do. Then there is the Member whisperer himself, Michael Reed, an adviser who has been essential to my first 2 years as whip.…”