Today’s post comes from Former Bryce Harlow Foundation Fellow James Sonne.
As a Bryce Harlow Fellow in 2006, I was honored to receive the financial support from the foundation because, of course, studying and working in the nation’s capital can be a costly endeavor. However, I am most appreciative of the opportunity to meet like-minded professionals in the advocacy field at all levels. At many steps in my career that has taken me from Capitol Hill, to a large corporate law firm and now to a trade association, the dynamic board members and fellows of the Bryce Harlow Foundation have served as a priceless sounding board and source of advice and assistance.
Whether looking to meet other students who were balancing full-time jobs with graduate study, seeking advice from my official mentor, or reaching out to Bryce Harlow staff or current and former board members, I was consistently astonished by the group of helpful and dynamic professionals I have met through the fellowship. Even after the fellowship ends, the Bryce Harlow Foundation facilitates networking through formal and informal social events that have been both informative on an intellectual level and provide for the chance to get to know some of the most respected members of the professional advocacy community. Hearing about the experiences of senior government relations professionals who know certain complex policy-areas inside-and-out and have relationships based on their integrity and such vast knowledge has been inspiring and makes me proud to be part of this important field. As I continue my career, I look forward to learning from the many additional Bryce Harlow alumni and board members who all demonstrate such high levels of professionalism and integrity.
James Sonne received the Bryce Harlow Fellowship in 2006 when he worked on Capitol Hill and earned an M.A. in Government and M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins. He is now Assistant Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA).
