Name: Sarah Stevens
Hometown: Napa Valley, Calif.
Position: Chief of Staff, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa
Age: 25
Alma mater: Liberty University
Washington Examiner: You became Rep. King’s chief of staff at 24, which made you the youngest chief of staff at the time, and probably still today. How did that transpire?
Stevens: I started working for Mr. King two days after graduating from college. I graduated on Saturday and I started on Monday. I was hired as a press assistant. I was honestly so excited to not only have a job right away after graduating but a job that allowed me to use my degree and work for a member I aligned with so well on the issues. I went on to be promoted to press secretary and then the communications director.
During the transition of press secretary to communications director, our scheduler left the office. No one specifically asked me to be the scheduler or even to fill in. The duties just started to fall on me and I gladly took up the task. During that time, I did all the communications work and D.C. scheduling as well as working to hire the next scheduler and a few other staff.
It was not an easy job, but I learned a lot of the ins and outs about what the boss needs in the office outside of just the realm of communications and the messaging. I was then promoted to deputy chief of staff, and a few months later, Mr. King sat me down and said, “Sarah, I’ve been thinking about who I should hire for chief of staff but then the next question is always, ‘How am I going to ask you to train them?’ So I would like you to be my chief of staff.”
I am extremely grateful Mr. King gave me the opportunities to learn and grow over the past four years. It’s easy to work really hard and be committed when you’re working for someone with whom you share the same conservative principles.
Examiner: Being young and in a position of leadership, do you face any challenges when it comes to working with people outside of your own office?
Stevens: I think challenge is always good; it makes you better, it makes you work harder at what you do. Within our office, we have no issues. Everyone is young. That’s one great part about working on the Hill: There’s a lot of young people with a lot of drive to do great work and great things for the country.
Outside of the office, I don’t think I would ever say there’s ever been a bad challenge. I am definitely aware that I tend to be the youngest person in most of the meetings I attend, but I enjoy what I do and meeting and working with new people.
Examiner: Since you’re responsible for staffing the office, what do you find differentiates offices that function well versus those that don’t function as well?
Stevens: A positive, team environment is the most important. As we’ve gone through transitions, Mr. King and I talked a lot about what is important to the office. A lot of people say you need to be from the state, or have a specific skill set, or a specific kind of resume.
Those things certainly are important to us, but every time I interview someone, the first thing I’m looking for is to get to know them on a personal level, and whether they’d fit well with the office. I can proudly and honestly say that we have a wonderful office environment, and it’s like a hard-working little family.
We spend plenty of time together, as anyone who works on the Hill knows, so you really have to like each other. Everyone helps each other out, everyone has each other’s back. We only hire people who are like-minded, pro-Constitution, pro-traditional marriage, pro-life. Personality, a willingness to help each other and selflessness are key.
Examiner: You were married at 23. How did you meet your husband?
Stevens: We both were doing the internship program at the Heritage Foundation. I was finishing my last semester of undergrad, he was doing an externship for law school. He went back to Michigan to finish up his last year of law school while I began working for Mr. King, and about a year later he came back to work on the Hill as well, where he is the executive director of the Conservative Opportunity Society.
Examiner: What do you do outside of the office?
Stevens: It’s cliche, but we love to travel, whether it’s abroad or in the United States. We’ve done a lot of Europe, we went to Taiwan recently, Jamaica, the Great Lakes, although it’s not always easy when you work for a member of Congress. We also love to try new foods, restaurants and we cook a lot. That’s pretty much what makes us happy.
Examiner: How did you become politically active?
Stevens: While growing up, my dad frequently took me with him on business trips as the VP for a veterans healthcare company. That taught me what hard work looked like, what professionalism looked like, what it meant to interact with people older than me in a business setting.
I also remember staying up late to watch Fox News with my dad when I was young, and he would explain what was going on in D.C. and in politics in general. My dad was definitely my biggest influence when it came to getting involved in politics. My mom does a lot in the community, and my father is also a pastor. They started a church called Calvary Chapel North Country in upstate New York about four years ago.
