inside the office of…Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.): Jamie Corley

Title: Press secretary

Age: 23

{mosads}Hometown: St. Louis

Education: Southern Methodist University, London School of Economics

Last job: Deputy press secretary, Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas)

Biggest communications success: Someone once told me that a good press secretary knows the ins and outs of policies just as well as she knows the key talking points. Working for Congressman Johnson, I had to familiarize myself with tax and trade policy since he sits on the Ways and Means Committee. Now, since Congresswoman Capito serves on the Financial Services and Transportation and Infrastructure committees, I’ve had to totally switch gears and study capital markets, government-sponsored enterprises, commercial banking regulations, transportation issues as well as energy policy. I’ve actually really enjoyed it!

Most memorable communications disaster: Pronouncing the name of a local county incorrectly when speaking to a reporter who grew up in the area. I suppose it’s more of an embarrassing moment than a disaster.

Best communications advice you’ve received: Always return phone calls in a timely manner and be accessible. It’s simple but goes a long way.

Most embarrassing moment on Capitol Hill: I was late for a job interview, so I took a cab from the House side to the Senate side of the Capitol. The cab driver looked at me like I was crazy (or like a really lost tourist). The ride cost $3, but I made it to the interview on time.

When Jamie Corley’s summer 2006 internship on Capitol Hill fell through after she had already come to Washington, she found herself dialing for work.

“I literally would be on the Metro calling people, calling offices — and this was in June, so all of the internships were full,” says Corley, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito’s (R-W.Va.) new press secretary.

Corley already had housing for the summer and was determined to find a way to stay in Washington.

Her luck turned when she called the office of one of her home-state members of Congress, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.).

“He took me under his wing,” she says.

After her summer in Akin’s office, Corley knew she wanted to work in Congress, so she steadily built a résumé that would facilitate her return to the Capitol. While studying abroad in a yearlong program at the London School of Economics, she was elected class president and also got involved in Republicans Abroad. Once back stateside, she lined up another internship, this time in the George W. Bush White House. And before graduating from Southern Methodist University, she worked on the 2008 McCain-Palin presidential campaign.

“I feel so blessed,” she says. “I knew that [working in politics] was what I was going to do, so I could really put all of my eggs in one basket.”

To have your office featured on Inside the Office of…, contact Kris Kitto at 202-628-8539 or kkitto@digital-staging.thehill.com.