Wednesday, March 25, the College of William and Mary’s Public Policy Club hosted Mark Washko ’90 M.P.P. ’94 as part of its spring speaker series. Washko is a senior government affairs advisor and lobbyist, currently living in Vienna, Va.
Washko received a degree in government from the College before returning for a master’s degree in public policy two years later. He was a member of the second graduating class of the Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy and later received his law degree from Vermont Law and Graduate School.
Public Policy club Co-President Nathan Yang ’28 said that the organization’s speakers typically attend via Zoom.
“Mark is one of our few in-person events that we’ve had, which is really great because we get to interact with them in a room and in a discussion style,” Yang said.
Morgan Benosky ’29 described her motivations for attending the event.
“I came here because I decided to get more exposure to what different types of jobs are, and I was pretty interested in government when I came here,” she said.
After outlining his jobs and pursuits as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., Washko imparted wisdom to those seeking careers in public policy.
“The first thing you have to do is decide if you want to be an analyst or an advocate,” he said. “For those of you in public policy, there are people who want to go write the policy, do all the research, and there are people who want to advocate for it.”
He then outlined a path toward careers in government.
“Nothing is better than on-the-job training,” Washko said. “It does two things: It either reinforces your thinking that I want to do this, or, in the case of my working at a law firm for two years, says, ‘I never want to do that again.’ Either way, it’s helping you define your career choices.”
Washko spoke about what it means to be a lobbyist in Washington, emphasizing the less glamorous aspects of the job.
“A lot of time is, frankly, spent listening,” he said. “But really, the job of a lobbyist is about advocating for a position, sharing information.”
According to Washko, lobbyists supply Congress with specialized information about a certain topic. The representatives’ legislative assistants then brief them about the topics, advising them to vote accordingly. In this way, lobbyists are a form of salespeople, marketing their causes in exchange for congressional support.
Washko elaborated on his recommendations for securing a position as a lobbyist. He said the first step is generally working on Capitol Hill or the executive branch.
“Get some experience, know who you are,” he said. “Then, you become attractive to trade associations, which represent industries or their member organizations, like the realtors that I work for, and then corporations like the one I work for, or multi-client firms, where you were looking to work.”
He emphasized the importance of connections in Washington, advising attendees to build relationships with everyone they meet.
Similarly, he urged students to have the confidence to further their networks.
“You have to put yourself out there,” he said. “Make your own luck, as I say, but be willing to participate in the process.”
Washko also discussed the path to working for a non-governmental organization.
“It can be very fulfilling if you’re passionate about an issue,” he said.
He stressed the camaraderie among College alumni living in Washington.
“People in Washington generally want to help other people because it’s a two-way street,” Washko said. “There’s a mutual benefit to it. People will want to help you.”
Washko also highlighted the College’s Washington Center as a particularly useful resource.
“The school is not going to guarantee you a job — you have to do that,” he said. “But if you take a lot of steps, reach out to a lot of alumni, it’s so easy.”
He concluded his talk by reminding attendees that they are already working toward building their networks with College community members.
“Keep doing that. The person who will hire you for the best job of your career probably doesn’t know you exist yet, but someone in your network may know that person,” Washko said. “So, they can make the introduction that changes everything.”
