Featured Alumni

Maureen Bentz

How did you break into the profession? What made you choose that career path?
I started working for the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in March of 2002. Prior to that, I had worked on the Hill for two different Members of Congress from New Jersey (my home state). I completed my undergrad work at GW and had been fortunate enough to have a paying internship on the Hill for most of my time as an undergrad. After working full time on the Hill for a few years, I realized that the Hill just wasn't for me, although I'm glad to have had that experience. At the time when I was looking for a new job, I wasn't quite sure exactly what I wanted to do and had entertained job offers from a handful of places. At the time, I thought the position with the FEC would be the best option for me and I accepted the job. I was hired as a Reports Analyst in the Reports Analysis Division. After two years, I was promoted to a Senior Reports Analyst, which later became a Senior Campaign Finance Analyst.

In June of 2007, I left the FEC for a job in the private sector. I quickly realized that I much prefer working for the government and came back to the FEC in December of 2007 in the Office of Administrative Review (OAR) as a Reviewing Analyst. I didn't necessarily think that I'd be with the FEC for this long when I initially accepted the job in March of 2002, but I've really grown to enjoy the job, the agency and the people. I can't see leaving the public sector for a long time!

What are some common misconceptions about your job?
Most people think that the FEC regulates voting matters, such as the hanging chads in Florida. This is not our jurisdiction. Hanging chads, voting machines, voting ballots, non-federal candidates — those are all things handled at the state and local level. In a nutshell, the FEC is charged with regulating the financial aspects of federal campaigns. Another misconception is that the staff must be partisan. The majority of the employees at the FEC are career staff, and not political appointments. This means that our jobs are not contingent on who has been elected to office. This also means that we are unbiased when we reviewing reports or challenges. We don't target one party over the other — we look at all reports and challenges equally!

At many different FEC sponsored conferences I've meet with committees who think that the FEC, specifically, the Reports Analysis Division (RAD), must employee hundreds of analysts. This is not true. RAD has about 20 analysts assigned to review PACs and Party committees and about 15 to review candidate committees. This means that analysts are responsible for the review of many committees, not just a handful. Analysts on the PACs/Party side of RAD can be tasked with the review of a few hundred committees! Along the same line, many people that I meet at these conferences or at events for the Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) assume that every federal employee is some old stogy man with a pocket protector. This is just not the case! In RAD, many of the analysts are recent college graduates and certainly do not wear pocket protectors!

Do you have any anecdotes or funny stories about things that have happened in your professional life?
My favorite small world story happened in January of 2008. I was snowboarding with my brother in Park City, UT and began talking to a man and his son on the chair lift. As we we are chatting, he asked where I lived and told him in DC. He said that he had grown up in Alexandria. Then he asked where I worked and I told him a small agency that he likely had not heard of — the FEC. He then asks if I know John Gibson. I told him yes, that he is the Deputy Staff Director for my division. The person on the lift and John had gone to middle school together for a few years. I am always amazed at these small world stories!

What is the importance of integrity and trust in your day-to-day work interactions?
Integrity and trust are very important in my position. The committees I speak with and work with depend on me to provide them with accurate advice and information, and also to maintain a level of confidentiality about their committee's business. A sizable part of my job includes these conversations with committees, and I take their need for confidentiality quite seriously. In addition to my interactions with the regulated community, I am also responsible for making sure internal documents and reports are reviewing thoroughly and correctly.

Part of the FEC's mission is to enable full public disclosure of campaign finance reports. Without a thorough review and analysis of said reports, we would be doing a disservice to the general public. The general public depends on the FEC to perform this review in a timely manner and to have Requests for Additional Information (RFAI) sent promptly.

How did being a Bryce Harlow Fellow (fellowship, connections, mentoring, etc.) assist in your graduate studies? In the professional world?
I received the scholarship for the fall semester of 2001. I was about halfway through the program, and the scholarship enabled me to finish GSPM a little bit earlier than I thought I would, as it allowed me to take 3 classes and not just 2 for 2 semesters. I've attended some of the Bryce Harlow functions and have always met new people. We all know that DC is a town based on connections and who you know, so this is just another way to expand that network of professional contacts!

What is some advice that you can offer students just starting out on their careers in advocacy?
DC is a very small town. You need to meet as many people as you can because you just never know when they will be able to help you out later on down the road. Its really easy to just focus on class. But in programs like GSPM, you really need to network and start meeting people — on both sides of the aisle. These connections can help in so many ways and you can't have too many of them! So go out and try to meet as many people as possible in your program or field.

What do you like about living in DC? What are your favorite things to do? Things that shouldn't be missed?
After moving to DC for college in the fall of 1997, I haven't left the city! I'm an avid runner and twice a week I go for a run along the Mall before work. Every sunrise that I see over the Capitol is just amazing. There is no better way to start your morning than to see the Mall in those early morning hours! DC has so many neat neighborhoods, you can't possibly see everything. But I definitely recommend trying to see new parts of town even if it is just to grab dinner at restaurant you have never frequented.