March is Women's History Month, and in this episode, Micaela Isler is joined by Jamie Jones Miller, Inaugural Dean & CEO of the Northeastern University Arlington Campus for an in-depth discussion about women in the government relations space.
March is Women's History Month, and in this episode, Micaela Isler is joined by Jamie Jones Miller, Inaugural Dean & CEO of the Northeastern University Arlington Campus for an in-depth discussion about women in the government relations space.
Micaela Isler:
Welcome back to the Facts About PACs. I'm Micaela Isler, NAPBAC's executive director and I'm joined as always by my fabulous co-host Adam Belmar.
Adam Belmar:
Thank you Micaela. We have a very special episode of the podcast today.
Micaela Isler:
Yeah, we really do. March is women's history month and we are taking the opportunity today to focus on women in the government relations space. It's a phenomenal field and one that holds great promise for everyone.
Adam Belmar:
Of course, that wasn't always the case Micaela. Government relations like so many sectors once dominated by men but that has changed. And today we're going to explore how women in our profession are leading, how they get there and what they're doing to elevate the next generation.
Micaela Isler:
Coming up, our in depth discussion with Jamie Jones Miller, inaugural Dean and CEO of the Northeastern University, Arlington campus.
Adam Belmar:
But first, Micaela it's time to run down some NAPBAC activities. Coming up next week on Wednesday March 16th at 2:00 PM. Be sure to register for the multi-layer fundraising webinar featuring Gracie Gerlach from The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers, Dorian Wanzer from International Paper and Richard McDonald with General Motors. The incomparable Amy Adams will moderate and this is one you don't want to miss Micaela.
Micaela Isler:
No, you don't Adam. And really, this is such a great panel of presenters all doing great work in their PAC fundraising even after these two really challenging years Adam. Members, I don't think you're going to want to miss this opportunity as we discuss a dynamic array of tactics to boost your PAC fundraising.
Adam Belmar:
Well, I will be there with bells on. The Facts About PACs podcast is produced especially for the members of the National Association of Business Political Action Committees. In every episode, we recap this week's NAPBAC activities, share actionable intelligence and best practices all while connecting the PAC community.
Micaela Isler:
Thanks Adam and joining us now as someone I have so much respect for. She is a leader with tremendous energy. She's incredibly bright and driven and she also happens to have a giant heart. Jamie Jones Miller welcome to the podcast.
Jamie Jones Miller:
Thank you so much Micaela. This sounds like a joke but not really. I am a long time listener but a first time caller. I have listened to the NAPBAC podcast multiple times so it's really fun to be here with you and Adam.
Micaela Isler:
Well, I love that Jamie. Let's jump right in. I really want all of our listeners to have a chance to get to know you and your professional story. Jamie earned her degree in international affairs from James Madison University while playing varsity basketball and also spent 13 years on Capitol Hill where she held the positions of chief of staff to representative Robert Whitman and legislative director for representative Randy Forbes, two senior members of the house Armed Services committee. Then Jamie served as principal deputy, assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs from 2017 to 2020 and you were awarded the Department of Defense medal for distinguished public service, incredible.
Micaela Isler:
Additionally, you received the certificate in national security studies from the National Defense University and are graduate of the fall 2018 PINNACLE course at NDU. And as I mentioned at the top of the show Jamie, you are now the inaugural Dean and CEO of Northeastern University's Arlington campus. I really can't think of anyone more accomplished to have on our show today as we celebrate women's history month. Tell us a little bit about this new position that you've taken on at Northeastern.
Jamie Jones Miller:
Thank you. It's an opportunity that I never would have dreamed of and when it was presented to me, I thought, "I don't know." SO many of us do when we're thinking about making a career transition but in this case, Northeastern University out of Boston is planning a flag in the national capital region and bringing our focus on experiential learning and growing federal research particularly in the DOD space to Arlington and combining my passion for growing future leaders in my career, national security, it started to make sense. And so I'm really excited to really be Northeastern's ambassador to the national capital region. From a military standpoint, it's like being a base commander where I have a whole bunch of tenant commands reporting to me so working with student services and faculty, students, themselves, careers, partnerships and then being an administrator, running a business. That really appealed to me and brings in a lot of the elements that I've had throughout my career.
Adam Belmar:
Jamie as we were preparing for today's show, I was thinking about my own personal work history. I came up as a journalist and every boss I had from the beginning of my career until I left television, I worked for a woman. And that was commonplace in journalism even in the 90s and the early 2000s but it most certainly has not been the case in government relations and lobbying and even in the halls of Congress as we continue to make progress. With that background that we just detailed and your leadership now, how often were you even at the higher levels, the only woman in the room and what impact did any of that have on all the energy you've put into helping people move up the ladder?
Jamie Jones Miller:
Two specific scenarios come into mind. I think back to my mid 20s when I first started working on the hill and handling a national security portfolio. I would walk into a room of all of the military legislative assistants for members of the Armed Services committee. And generally, it was me and one other woman in a group of 60. That has definitely changed. As I interact with members of Congress and their offices and their staff that have that national security portfolio, it is evolving and I'm excited about that as it should, that women are taking on these portfolios and national security and financial services and tech. A lot of the STEM issue areas are seeing more women there. And then the other anecdote, being at the Pentagon and being in senior roles and walking into meetings with the secretary and the deputy and looking around and being the only woman in the room was not uncommon.
Jamie Jones Miller:
But what I would say is that, the cadre is growing and the reason that it is growing is the deliberate and intentional investment of women and men in women and seeking out and promoting and retaining and developing talent. And I think that's the key in any industry, any environment is attracting and retaining talent. And especially right now as we're going through this transition in this country and the loss of jobs that women have seen during the pandemic, we've called it a she session. How do we bring women back online into roles that are attractive to them? And I think in the government, a fair space which is largely relationship focused, women have a lot of potential. In my spare time, I like to be involved in organizations that are helping to lift up women and help provide that playbook and that path for them.
Micaela Isler:
Jamie, when you were starting out, how important were professional organizations for you and how important do you think they are for are young professional women today?
Jamie Jones Miller:
I am very grateful that I stumbled upon a couple very solid organizations early on in my career. One and I'll give them a shout out here is Women in Government Relations. That is the first association that I joined in 2001 when I entered the lobbying and government affairs field. I am a member today. Throughout that course of the last 20 years, we've really seen the expansion and the footprint of WGR and supporting women in the field. I don't see a lot of support specifically for women in national security and that's what led me to an organization called the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. We launched about two years ago and our mission is to prepare women to serve in senior national security roles. Deputy assistant secretary level and above and Senate-confirmed positions and ambassador-level positions and really to give these women the playbook for how to seek a Senate confirmed role, how to find an appointment in the administration and then how to prepare yourself to go through all of the hoops and the requirements to be a candidate for one of those positions.
Jamie Jones Miller:
Really pulling back the curtain and saying, "All right, we're going to do a mock confirmation hearing for you Micaela, when you're going to be the secretary of the treasury." And we're going to run the traps for you so that when you're sitting in that seat, you have a little bit of practice. And so I think that's the key is asking for that playbook. And it's something that I've done throughout my transition and this new role is, asking everyone I've interacted with, what are some of the rules? What's the playbook, the secrets, the culture? It's hard to get in the game and the middle of the game without having the playbook. I think it's incumbent upon us to do that and I think that's a very inclusive and smart and deliberate action we can take to grow any field but particularly government affairs that's so a relationship based.
Micaela Isler:
I love that Jamie and one of the things I hear in that is that we must be intentional when it comes to providing those opportunities and that means helping... People grow and develop. I know you and I both in other volunteer roles, we take this very seriously and it's been a very important part of our volunteer experience over the last 20 years and it can also mean hiring from within. What advice do you have for everyone listening about how they can be successful in elevating future female leaders?
Jamie Jones Miller:
I think it's really important to be clear on your outcomes and your vision and your goals for any organization and then building the team, the talent to execute, implement, attain those outcomes. And so for a manager or a supervisor or a principal, really expanding your aperture and thinking about the voices that you have around the table and the ones that are missing and filling that gap. What doors do you need to open for someone else to come through? What opportunities do you need to provide so someone can be prepared to take on a future role? That is where the intentionality comes in and it's not just putting together a strategic plan and an operating plan and a budget, right? But that personal and professional development element I think is critical and it requires a lot of investment. And I would hope and it's something that I found very rewarding. It's not necessarily the legislation that I got passed. I worked on the legislation to establish the United States Space Force, pretty proud of that.
Jamie Jones Miller:
Worked on some legislation to support veterans and Virginia tribes when I was working for the Congressman. I'm really proud of those things but what I'm most proud of is the fact that multiple people were prepared and ready to serve as chief of staff when it was time for me to leave the hill and go to the Pentagon.
Adam Belmar:
Jamie, what is your posture as you take the reins at Northeastern University's, Arlington campus when it comes to introducing students to practitioners and leaders who look like them.
Jamie Jones Miller:
One of my favorite quotes and I'll get it wrong so I won't lay it out exactly right is from the former head coach of the Notre Dame women's basketball team. And she said something to the effect of, I'm just really tired of being asked the question about what it's like to be a women's coach. I'm really tired of being asked the question about seeing more women on the court in coaching roles and umpire and referee roles and on the field and I'm just tired of it. More women need to be in these positions so we get to the point where we're just not talking about it anymore. And that women need to be able to see themselves in those roles so they can vision it and they can dream it. And I agree with her and I think the interesting part of that is, it's not just the woman that's going to pull up another woman, it's everybody in the community.
Jamie Jones Miller:
We all have a responsibility to grow and develop talent and something I'm looking forward to at Northeastern and breaking into a new market in the Washington DC area is exciting for a number of reasons but I think Northeastern's approach, they're very focused on experiential learning, cooperative education opportunities, federal research. But our facility here in Arlington will have a classified and secure space where we can work with industry partners and government partners. And so to me, I think that capability and what we will offer is really going to be the front porch, the entree to the campus that will be new and will be different. And so I'm excited to see how we can attract and grow the federal government workforce and industry and support their needs and up-skilling talent or retaining talent or providing new opportunities for their workforce.
Micaela Isler:
These opportunities are incredible Jamie. Think about if we had these opportunities 20 years ago. I mean, but it's so incredible that you're able to help launch this at this point in your career, there's no one better. I want you to talk a little bit about how you talk to women in our profession about the importance of growing their network. I mean, you've talked about this being a relationship business. I talk about that all the time. What is your take?
Jamie Jones Miller:
Well, first let me acknowledge that networking is intimidating, networking in a virtual space probably it's all these new dynamics of, how do you network in a virtual environment? It's different than going to a reception, right? And handing out your business cards. But I think there's so many different layers to networking. And as I've thought about a career transition, I've thought about my network and who are the people that are either in the space or adjacent to a space that I can reach out to, ask for their advice about an industry or help make a connection or help me figure out how to tackle interview questions. The network for me has been almost like a safety blanket honestly in the job search. And to know that there are people that have traveled down this road before who can pass on and some advice to me. And I think everyone should have a network and what that looks like will be different for everybody.
Jamie Jones Miller:
But I like to think about it as first of all, building a personal board of directors, a personal board of advisors, surrounding yourself with people who can be mentors, providing advice and counsel, sponsors, people who are willing to use some of their social capital or their own connections on your behalf, champions, people who are out there selling, marketing, putting your name forward for events, for opportunities. You need all those different people at different points in your life so I'm a huge advocate of convening that personal board of directors as part of your network.
Adam Belmar:
Jamie, I think it's really important that we were able to have you come on the podcast today. It's everything that we are trying to do for our broad community at NABPAC. We develop all the great talent that is among us by sharing candidly, quietly and publicly defending our industry and getting to know more about the best practices that happen and it makes me feel proud Micaela that we can take some time to do an episode just like this.
Micaela Isler:
I agree. Jamie Jones Miller, inaugural Dean and CEO of the Northeastern University Arlington campus, thanks so much for joining us on the Facts About PACs podcast today.
Jamie Jones Miller:
Anytime, thanks for having me.
Micaela Isler:
And thanks to everyone downloading and sharing the show. Subscribe and meet us right back here on the Facts About PACs podcast.