Inside the Office of…Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.): Emily Penn

Emily Penn

Title: Executive assistant

Age: 24

Hometown: Jackson, Miss.

{mosads}Education: Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in political science from the University of Mississippi

Last job: National Republican Congressional Committee

Office pet peeve: Male staffers bursting into impromptu song and dance

Most in-demand office supply: 16-ounce Styrofoam cups

Best-kept secret to keeping a congressional office running: Having a secret candy stash to keep the staff going on long days.

Professional role model: [Harper’s Deputy Chief of Staff] Sharon Johnson. She has been on the Hill for over 20 years and knows the answer to every question. She is kind to everyone that she comes into contact with and she has taught me so many valuable lessons, from troubleshooting computer equipment to the best way to deal with a challenging constituent. I can go to her for advice, to laugh or to cry. I am still learning from her every day.

Interests outside of work: Bike riding, maintaining my blog, tubing in West Virginia and planning [the Mississippi Society event] Mississippi on the Mall.

Emily Penn first met her boss Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) in 2008 when he was congressional candidate Harper. She was a new receptionist at the National Republican Congressional Committee, and when Harper and his campaign manager stopped by, the three of them struck up a conversation.

“I just wound up thinking, ‘I have got to work for this man,’ ” said Penn, who is from Harper’s district. “He said, ‘We’re not going to sit on the back row if I get elected. We’re really going to make a difference.’ ”

She kept in touch with Harper and his staff, and the new congressman hired her shortly after he took office.

After a family trip to Washington in junior high and a return trip to the city in high school, Penn knew she wanted to come back to the capital one day. She took a summer internship in 2007 with the minority staff of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, an experience that confirmed her love for D.C.

{mosads}But Penn has maintained her ties to her home state. She’s quick to let constituents calling the office know that she’s from the district — especially if it’ll help calm their tempers — and she returns home frequently, mostly to visit family and friends but also as part of her official duties. In Washington, Penn is the social co-chairwoman of the Mississippi Society, a position that has put her in charge of the 500-person “Mississippi on the Mall” event in June.

Of her Washington experience thus far, she said, “It’s just been more than I could’ve imagined. It really has.”

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