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Tag: Todd Kercheval

Day One: Austin Legislature

Our first day of whirlwind activities in Austin began with a tour of the Capitol building, exploring the Senate Gallery, and viewing the portraits of Texas governors.

LEAP Center Students with Elizabet Ney's Sculpture of Sam Houston
LEAP Students with Ney’s Sam Houston Sculpture

The highlights of the day, however, involved meeting the legislative staff.  Our first meeting was with Senator Schwertner’s Staff: Chief of Staff Tom Holloway and Leah Alexander, the District Director. We learned what happens in a Senator’s Office, the need to be responsive to constituent concerns, and what responding entails.  More to our immediate interest, we learned what is expected of legislative interns: a good attitude, initiative, and strong communication skills.

Leah Alexander Presents to LEAP Students
Leah Alexander Presents to LEAP Students

Following our meeting, we hopped over to Frank and Angie’s, where we had some delicious pizza and the opportunity to meet Brian King, a legislative intern with Representative Senfronia Thompson’s Office.

Brian King at Work
Brian King at work in Rep. Thompson’s Office

After lunch, we returned to the Capitol, where we had class in the House Chamber!  The class was “taught” by Nikki Cobb (Chief of Staff for Representative John Otto) and Chris Griesel (House Parliamentarian).  Our desks were the desks of the legislators, and the curriculum involved a step-by-step overview of the legislative process.  An emphasis was placed on the need for cooperation which, in turn, depends on trust. And trust, of course, depends on members acting in good faith and keeping their word. Ms. Cobb also provided essential information, describing some of the work off the floor, how to mediate conflict, and an inspirational discussion of her career, which began as an intern and evolved over the years to Chief of Staff.

Nikki Cobb and Chris Griesel
Nikki Cobb and Chris Griesel

Our last Capitol stop was in Representative Thompson’s office, where we met Todd Kercheval, an SHSU alum turned legislative aide, turned executive branch employee, turned lobbyist. He stressed the importance of selecting a job you enjoy and that offers rewards, finding a mentor, and building relationships.

Todd Kercheval Discusses Lobbying
Todd Kercheval Discusses Lobbying

Our day ended on a high note, with dinner at Fogo de Chao. The food was wonderful, although there is little doubt we ate too much.  We tried to walk it off with a brief stroll around 6th street, where we saw a bit of the much-discussed Austin night life before returning home, and resting up for another big day tomorrow.

Sixth_Street

Author mikeyawnPosted on February 11, 2014Categories Civic Engagement, Politics, TravelTags Austin, Charles Schwertner, Chris Griesel, John Otto, LEAP Center, Nikki Cobb, Texas Capitol, Todd KerchevalLeave a comment on Day One: Austin Legislature

The Austin Legislature: Up Close and Personal for SHSU Students

Coby Steele and Kevin Hernandez–After arriving in Austin late in the evening (2:30am), we had an early morning beset by cold weather.  In fact, our planned trip to Capitol Hill was delayed a bit, but we did not let this deter us…

Following some roaming around the Capitol…

TX Senate Chamber
TX Senate Chamber

we met with Senator Charles Schwertner’s staff: Chief of Staff Tom Holloway and District Director Leah Alexander.  They walked us through the workings of the Senator’s office in both the Legislative and non-Legislative years, as well as their duties.  We were surprised at the amount of work for such a small staff, and we found the policy side of things particularly interesting.

Leah Alexander Presents to LEAP Students
Leah Alexander Presents to LEAP Students

Elected officials rely heavily on staff to explore model legislation, analyze the costs and benefits of legislation, and to summarize existing legislation.  There’s a lot of work that goes into these bills, and only a small portion get passed.

After our visit in Senator Schwertner’s office, we broke from the Capitol for lunch at Frank and Angie’s Pizzeria in downtown Austin.  The restaurant is so named because of the original owner Angie having a strong affection for Frank Sinatra.  There we were joined by a fellow LEAP Center student, Brian King, who is currently interning at the Capitol for Representative Senfronia Thompson.  We all got to enjoy the Pavarotti, a vegetarian pizza; the Chairman of the Board, a type of supreme named for Sinatra; and our favorite was the Sicilian which incorporated bell peppers into the pizza.  A single pizza was the equivalent of a large delivery pizza, so there was plenty to fuel us for what still lay ahead.

Following lunch, another treat awaited us.  Nikki Cobb, Chief of Staff for Representative John Otto, and Chris Griesel, the Parliamentarian of the House of Representatives, met with us on the House floor to discuss the process of how a bill becomes a law.

Nikki Cobb and Chris Griesel
Nikki Cobb and Chris Griesel Present

The discussion was very engaging; Mr. Griesel displayed an encyclopedic knowledge of history and procedure, as well as frequent bursts of humor to lighten what, in other hands, could be a dry topic. Mrs. Cobb was very helpful in answering questions about the legislative process, while also providing details on her career path.  Both spoke about a common theme of working together with other legislators and not making enemies or bridges because they said one day “they may need you to pass a bill, and another day you may need them.”

Nikki Cobb with LEAP Center Students
Nikki Cobb with LEAP Center Students

After our exclusive and unprecedented experience in the House chamber we met Todd Kercheval, a man with a diverse resume.  His work ranged from being a Legislative Aide to Chief of Staff to work in an executive department to lobbyist.   While most of our day was more oriented to the different formalities of the Texas legislature, Mr.Kercheval touched on the essentials needed to work efficiently in the fast paced world of Texas politics. He emphasized two points: initiative and integrity.

Todd Kercheval Discusses Lobbying
Todd Kercheval Discusses Lobbying

After a day of amazing presentations, we had an amazing dinner.  In our case, it was at Fogo de Chao, a spectacular Brazilian steak house, which is a short walk away from the festive and ever-exciting 6th street.  We were joined by old colleagues and recent alums Brian King, Emily Johnson and Will Phillips, who all provided great conversation through the rest of the night. The experience was new for a good portion of us, and the quantity and quality of the food was a bit surprising, as was the speed of its delivery to the table. This was one of the best possible ways to end an overall marvelous day on our visit to the Heart of Texas.

SHSU Students with Ney's Sam Houston
SHSU Students with Ney’s Sam Houston
Author mikeyawnPosted on February 9, 2014February 14, 2014Categories Civic Engagement, Politics, TravelTags Charles Schwertner, Chris Griesel, Elizabet Ney, Fogo de Chao, John Otto, Leah Alexander, Nikki Cobb, Sam Houston, Senfronia Thompson, Todd Kercheval, Tom HollowayLeave a comment on The Austin Legislature: Up Close and Personal for SHSU Students

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  • Wrapping up TCMA June 23, 2022
  • Day 4: TCMA–Cities, Capitols, Art, and Kayaking June 22, 2022
  • Terrible–Thanks for Asking! A day at TCMA June 17, 2022
  • Tackling TX Cities in Austin & Bastrop June 15, 2022
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