Bryce Harlow Foundation

Aubrey Cortez grew up in a home dedicated to service. When Hurricane Harvey flooded her Houston neighborhood, Aubrey’s mother raised money, organized the cleanup, and rallied the whole family to help rebuild homes. “I was homeschooled and always doing service projects with my mom,” Aubrey said. “It sparked an early love for helping my community.”

She carried that commitment with her to the University of Dallas, where she helped resettle Afghan refugee families, volunteered at a Dallas food bank, and even started her own organization offering tutoring programs to refugees.

During her final two years of college, Aubrey interned at the U.S. Department of State and accepted a full-time role there after graduation, working on refugee policy. “After working at the local level, I wanted to learn how to more efficiently impact policy at the federal level,” she said.

Today, Aubrey serves as an Education Policy Analyst at Watershed Advisors, where she helps bridge the gap between federal funding and local implementation. “I spend a lot of my time coordinating between the differing perspectives of higher education and the workforce,” Aubrey said. “It’s an excellent tutorial in how to build consensus and find compromise.” She is also pursuing a master’s degree in public policy at Georgetown University.

For Aubrey, the Bryce Harlow Foundation’s emphasis on integrity is what first drew her to the Fellowship. “Holding integrity at the center of advocacy is completely consistent with my personal priorities when engaging people around policy,” she said. As a Bryce Harlow Fellow, Aubrey looks forward to learning from her mentors and fellow members of the cohort while continuing to develop the skills that have guided her from community service in Houston to a career shaping public policy.

Katherine Broten grew up in Farmington, New Mexico, where she saw early on the importance of public education. She attended a public school and saw the impact her mother made as a teacher in rural districts. “This inspired me to work to increase resources for education,” Katherine said.

Katherine attended the University of Mississippi on a National Merit Scholarship and enrolled in its Public Policy Leadership program. She interned at a Washington lobbying firm and later in the office of U.S. Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico. “I just loved Capitol Hill immediately,” Katherine said. “I knew it was what I wanted to do.”

After graduation, Katherine joined the office of U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich as a legislative correspondent covering health care and education. Today, she serves as a legislative assistant for Senator Heinrich, where she leads the education policy team. Her work with the Indian Health Service and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) has given her a firsthand view of the important role advocates play in the policymaking process. “BIE schools and tribes are so entwined with the federal government, you really need a lobbyist to help present and sift through the facts,” Katherine said.

Katherine is also pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at Northeastern University. She is grateful to have been selected as a Bryce Harlow Foundation Fellow and is looking forward to learning from her mentors and expanding her advocacy skills. “I’d like to learn more about how lobbyists help move policy forward — and how to be better at networking,” Katherine said.

Cecilia Bernard grew up in Winona, Minnesota, and when the 2008 financial crisis hit her family hard, it pulled her attention toward policy and politics. “I started focusing on world events because of the direct impact on my family,” Cecilia said. “I wanted to be sure our policymakers were holding folks accountable.”

She attended Drake University in Des Moines to be close to the Iowa caucuses.  Cecilia studied politics and economics and worked during two presidential election cycles. She first volunteered on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign and later served as a campus organizer for Elizabeth Warren in 2020.

After moving to Washington DC, Cecilia spent four years working on grassroots advocacy for the Declaration for American Democracy Coalition, building support for the For the People Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. Working alongside the coalition’s lobbying team, she watched sharp, policy-minded advocates build bipartisan relationships, even with offices unlikely to support the legislation. “When I realized most legislative changes are decades long, I knew I wanted to work in government advocacy,” Cecilia said.

Today, Cecilia serves as Outreach Manager at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), where she leads external affairs and works with the policy team on Capitol Hill outreach. She is also in her final year of the Master of Policy Management program at Georgetown University.

The Bryce Harlow Foundation’s emphasis on ethics and integrity inspired Cecilia to apply for the Fellowship, as did the opportunity for mentorship. With Genna Gent as her mentor, she is looking forward to exploring the many possible paths a career in government advocacy can take. “It really is the people you surround yourself with that get you through,” Cecilia said.

Grace Hayden grew up in Baltimore County, Maryland, and got her first taste of politics when she ran for class president in fifth grade. She lost — which only motivated her more. Grace went on to serve as class president all four years of high school. Later, at the University of Maryland, she represented off-campus students in student government and served as its director of health and wellness.

An internship with her hometown congressman, Dutch Ruppersberger, introduced Grace to Capitol Hill. “I fell in love with it the second I got there,” Grace said. She continued building her career on the Hill and today serves as a legislative assistant for Congressman Johnny Olszewski, handling his much of his domestic policy and supporting his work on the U.S. House Committee on Small Business.

Her work with the committee helped inspire Grace to pursue an MBA at Georgetown University. Both of her parents are certified public accountants, and while she grew up with a strong understanding of finance, she wanted to deepen her own knowledge of business. “I feel very privileged to be a student again,” Grace said. “It’s been rewarding learning about the fundamentals of business.”

Grace was drawn to the Bryce Harlow Foundation’s emphasis on bipartisanship, and looks forward to learning from her mentors, Alison Bodor and Hanna Abou, as she continues to shape the direction of her career.  “I’m honored the Foundation believed in me,” Grace said. “I’m very grateful to be a part of this mentorship-focused program.”

The Bryce Harlow Foundation recently announced it’s incoming class of Bryce Harlow Foundation Fellows.  Please join us in congratulating them and read all about it here: BHF 2026-27 Fellows Announced.  More details on the current class of Fellows may be found HERE.

Anna Roberts’ commitment to public service began at 18, when she traveled to Haiti to help build a school. There she met a boy named Evantua, who wanted to be a doctor but had no pathway to get there. That early glimpse into how systems shape opportunity stayed with her and set her on a course toward government affairs.

She studied international affairs and political science in Cincinnati and headed straight to Capitol Hill. An internship answering phones quickly grew into a career rooted in policy. She became a senior legislative advisor and helped pass the READ Act, legislation that brought together ten federal agencies to work collaboratively on international basic education—everything from school meals and child labor prevention to education in refugee settings.

Eventually, when the READ Act was ready to be implemented, Anna moved to USAID and worked for nine years to make the Act operational, helping launch the first U.S. Government Strategy on International Basic Education. At its height, this work reached over 40 million children each year in 55 countries.

When the office closed last year and the sector contracted dramatically, Anna moved to the Basic Education Coalition (BEC). “The change sharpened my belief that government advocacy is essential to how systems function,” Anna said. “When it is done well—with clarity, integrity, and purpose—it can help protect vulnerable communities from the consequences of political shifts.”

Anna is pursuing an Executive Master’s degree in Policy Leadership at Georgetown University and is thrilled to be a Bryce Harlow Foundation Fellow. “The Fellowship gives me a professional anchor,” Anna said. “Being part of a community that champions ethical, effective government affairs has reaffirmed my belief that this work can help strengthen systems and make a meaningful difference.”

Naomi Song grew up in Seoul, South Korea, before moving to the United States with her family. She spent her early years in the Boston area and later relocated to Los Angeles, where she continued her education and joined the U.S. Army Reserve, a decision she considers one of the most impactful of her life. Beyond the discipline and physical demands, what stayed with her most was the experience of serving alongside individuals from diverse backgrounds united by a shared mission. In that environment, trust and responsibility outweighed differences, strengthening her sense of purpose and deepening her commitment to the country she had chosen.

With renewed focus, Naomi returned to her studies at UCLA, where she pursued anthropology along with public policy and political science. During her final semester, she joined Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Los Angeles office and continued there after graduating. In this role, she worked closely with community leaders and local officials, gaining firsthand insight into how federal offices collaborate with state and local partners and how policy is translated into practice.

Naomi later moved to Washington, D.C., to serve as a Special Advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce. She recently completed a Master of Arts in Global Policy at Johns Hopkins University’s SAIS, where she also worked as a research assistant.

For Naomi, the Bryce Harlow Foundation Fellowship has been a bridge between her years of public service and her next chapter — one she is actively shaping at the intersection of policy, strategy, and institutional leadership.

Anne Bradbury didn’t set out to build a career as an energy advocate. She started on Capitol Hill, and worked her way up to senior roles, including serving as Floor Director to Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan, where she had a front-row seat to how policy takes shape.

Yet the energy industry kept pulling her in. “One pivotal experience was watching the shale revolution unfold in Pennsylvania,” Anne said. “What began as uncertainty and skepticism in local communities shifted into something tangible – jobs, a stable economy, growth of towns. Seeing this transformation gives my work weight and direction.”

Today, Anne is President and CEO of the American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC), representing independent oil and natural gas producers across the country. Since stepping into the role in 2019, she has grown the organization significantly and strengthened its presence across both Capitol Hill and the Executive Branch.

Anne’s connection to the Bryce Harlow Foundation grew naturally alongside her increased interest in helping define and strengthen her profession.  “Many of my colleagues talked about the Foundation’s commitment to integrity and public service.” Anne said. “True advocacy is about bringing informed perspectives into the policymaking process and helping legislators understand the real-world impact of their decisions.”

One of the main elements that drew Anne most strongly to the Foundation was its focus on scholarship and mentorship for the next generation of advocates.  “There is real value in having thoughtful people choose public policy careers because they want to contribute to something larger than themselves.” Anne said. “The challenge is not to lose that instinct, but to build on it with experience and judgement.”

Anne’s own approach to advocacy was shaped early in her career by mentors who were clear about one guiding principle: do the right thing for the right reason, even when it is difficult.

Through mentoring Bryce Harlow Foundation Fellows, Anne hopes to instill that same credo in the rising class of lobbyists.  “My advice is straightforward,” Anne said. “Develop real expertise in something that matters to you, build relationships on both sides of the aisle, and take the time to understand both the perspectives you agree with, and as well as those you don’t. These are the habits that make someone effective.”

James Sonne first came to the Bryce Harlow Foundation as a Fellow in 2006. He served on the BHF Alumni Advisory board for several years, and now, nearly twenty years later, he returns as a member of the Foundation’s Board of Governors.

At the time of his Fellowship, James was working on Capitol Hill while attending graduate school, and he vividly recalls the impact the program had on him. “While I appreciated the financial support, what made the difference was the mentorship from the Foundation board,” James said.  “Their openness and willingness to engage made a lasting impression.”

After law school, James began his career in corporate law in New York but quickly realized he wanted to work closer to policy.  “With the help of connections and friendship I made during his time as a Fellow, I was able to make introductions that eventually helped me shift my direction” James said. “Returning to the Foundation allows me to help rising advocates in their careers the same way others helped me.”

Today, as Vice President and Head of Government Affairs at PGIM, James brings experience from government, private practice, trade associations and in-house leadership roles. He views the evolution of advocacy through a broad lens. “While the mechanics of advocacy and communications tools have changed, the fundamentals have not,” James said.  “Substance still matters. Time with decision-makers is limited. The ability to explain an issue clearly and usefully remains what makes someone effective.”

At the same time, James acknowledges that expectations for advocates have increased, particularly as regulators play a more central role and policy discussions require a higher level of technical understanding. “The work demands more than prepared lines,” James said. “It requires real fluency in the issues and the ability to engage at depth.”

His advice to Fellows is simple: stay open. There are many paths into the government advocacy profession. and there are many ways to build a career that adds value by drawing on a combination of legal, policy, communications and strategic skills.

James looks forward to his role on the Board as an opportunity to help Fellows navigate these shifts and support a profession that matters, perhaps more than ever, in helping shape public policy.

Owen Voutsinas-Klose grew up in Nyack, New York, a small town along the Hudson River about twenty miles north of New York City, in a household shaped by the law. His father practiced locally in Nyack, and his mother worked as a lawyer in New York City. Conversations about cases, clients, and public issues were part of daily life, instilling in him an early appreciation for advocacy and public service.

Owen’s interest in politics began at a young age. By twelve, he was volunteering on campaigns and was drawn to the power of ideas and leadership to mobilize people and shape communities. He went on to study politics, philosophy, and economics at the University of Pennsylvania, where he became deeply involved in student political life and clubs including the Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative.

After graduating in 2020, Owen returned home and joined the New York State Senate as a junior aide. In that role, he worked directly with constituents, gaining an early and practical understanding of how policy decisions affect people in real time. He later joined Viohl & Associates, where he now serves as Vice President of Policy & Government Affairs. His work focuses primarily on state-level healthcare policy—particularly Medicaid—where the effects of public policy are immediate and deeply tangible.

Owen is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor at Georgetown University and views law and lobbying as closely connected forms of advocacy. In his view, everyone deserves an advocate, and effective public policy depends on informed, responsible argument.

As a Bryce Harlow Foundation Fellow, Owen has been struck by the generosity of the community. Mentors and fellow participants offer not only guidance but also meaningful connections within a network built on trust. The Fellowship has reinforced for him the importance of ethical advocacy and the responsibility to extend that same generosity to others.