Inside the office of: Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio): James Slepian

{mosads}Age: 30

Hometown: I’m kind of a nomad, so it’s a toss-up between Portland, Ore., and New York City.

Education:  B.A., Vanderbilt University (2002); J.D., Willamette University (2005)

Last job: Campaign manager/communications director, Renacci for Congress

Best thing about being chief of staff: Getting a front-row seat to history, even if it’s at 4:30 a.m. on a Saturday. It’s a pretty unique experience, and I feel fortunate to have this job.

Management style: With freedom comes responsibility, and vice versa. If staffers are meeting or exceeding expectations, they are not micromanaged. The more ownership people take in their work, the more responsibility for it they naturally feel, which results in a better work product. So when possible, I try to give direction without giving directions. Fortunately, we have a great staff in both D.C. and the district, which makes the job a lot easier.

Top priorities in your current role: Helping my boss fulfill the commitments that he’s made to his constituents and working with the staff to make sure the trains are running on time.

Most embarrassing moment on Capitol Hill: Showing my parents (or anyone, really) my first Capitol Hill apartment in 2007. I had moved to D.C. on short notice and thought I’d lucked out with a good deal on a “furnished” apartment on the Hill. As I found out, the furnishings included an empty entertainment center, a very loose interpretation of a “bed,” one broken chair and a blender. That’s it. I made some improvements, but the place always looked like I just got robbed.

Passion outside of work:  I’m a full-blown political news junkie, so I nerd out with that stuff a lot, even in my free time. Aside from that, I enjoy working out, watching the Yankees humiliate the Red Sox, and I’ve been known to take in a marathon or two of “Jersey Shore” from time to time. 

After a few failed bids at class president in both high school and law school, James Slepian decided he was a better campaign operative than a candidate.

Slepian helped get freshman Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) elected last fall and followed the new lawmaker to Washington to become his chief of staff. Prior to that he had worked on former Sen. Gordon Smith’s (R-Ore.) reelection bid in 2008.

That’s not to say Slepian didn’t have some success as a candidate. He was elected class president his senior year of high school, but he admits it might’ve been in spite of himself. He laughs at his high school self now, saying he was “kind of a jerk.”

“I was kind of more interested in baseball and girls,” he said. “I think I was interested in trying to be a cool kid. I don’t think I succeeded. I just look back and laugh.”

A main focus for Slepian since coming to Capitol Hill has been assembling the best possible office for his boss.

“This is a whole new challenge,” he said. “A big advantage I have is that a lot of qualified people wanted to work in the district office, and the people in [the Washington] office make my job a lot easier.”

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