Staffer Profiles
Top 10 Digital Staffersof Capitol Hill
Digital staffers determine how Congress shows up online, and this year's list proves great digital work takes many forms — from viral content to quietly transforming an office's entire presence. These are the staffers setting the standard for what strong digital strategy looks like on Capitol Hill.
Meet CNCT's Top 10 Digital Staffers on the Hill...
Ben Martin
Communications Director, Office of Rep. Barry Moore (R)Ben's nominators used the phrase "top 5 — dare I say" digital staffer on the Hill, and based on how well his office is rated on the Scoop, we're not going to argue. He's grown the office's digital presence exponentially, tackling whatever challenge lands on his desk without complaint. But it's not just the output — colleagues consistently point to how he shows up for the team: He does everything with so much integrity and kindness and it's a pleasure working on staff with him.
Earnestine Dawson
Digital Director, Office of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D)If you've been trained, mentored, or bailed out of a digital crisis on the House Democratic side in the last few years, there's a good chance Earnestine Dawson had something to do with it. She's been at this since Obama's 2012 campaign, cut her teeth running war-room strategy during Trump's first impeachment, and has since built out the CBC Bootcamp and a rotating cast of trainings that keep the entire Caucus's digital game sharp. One nominator put it simply: she consistently teaches and inspires staffers across the House to approach digital differently.
Another went further: She does not simply know technology; she makes technology more accessible to the people who need it.
Noah Carr
Digital Staffer, Office of Rep. Nick LaLota (R)Running comms as a team of one is hard enough. Doing it in a swing district next door to New York City — through a mayoral transition, no less — is another level entirely. Noah's nominators describe the rigorous commitment he gives to his job daily,
and it shows how steady his office's digital presence has stayed through a genuinely chaotic news cycle. In a district where every message matters, Noah's proven he can carry the load solo in DC.
Isabella "Izzy" Andaya
Digital Director, Office of Rep. Robert Garcia (D)Izzy took Robert Garcia from "who?" to a household name, and the numbers back it up. Followers went up by the tens of thousands and engagement more than tripled. But it's not just the growth chart that gets people talking. One colleague on the legislative side said she can communicate and translate nuances about things I'm working on better than almost anyone I've worked with on the Hill.
Another nominator didn't hold back: If a stranger in the middle of the country knows who Robert Garcia is, it is largely in part due to the hard work that Isabella does each and every day.
David Casimes
Digital Staffer, Office of Rep. Brian Mast (R)David's nominators don't mince words: he's the best digital staffer I've had the pleasure of working with.
What sets him apart isn't just the content — plenty of good content gets made on the Hill — it's how he gets there: always willing to collaborate, always accommodating last-minute asks and always finding a way to make it work for the whole team. Add in tremendous grit in and out of the office,
and you've got a staffer who makes everyone around him better, not just his boss's feed.
Julie Kramer
Digital Director, Office of Rep. Josh Harder (D)Josh Harder wasn't exactly known as a digital-first member — until Julie showed up. Nominators keep coming back to the same idea: she's made his content genuinely creative without anything feeling cringey or inauthentic,
which, if you've spent any time on Congressional social media, you know is rarer than it should be. Beyond her own office, she's a driving force behind Digital Dems, helping elevate what it means to be a digital staffer
for the whole caucus. Proof that you don't need a naturally online boss to build a great digital shop.
Bryce Billiot
Digital Director, Senate HELP Committee Majority (R)The numbers alone would get Bryce on this list: 56,500-plus new followers across @SenBillCassidy and @GOPHELP, a 97% jump in Cassidy's following, 819% growth on his Instagram. But what's more impressive is the range — Bryce is described as a Swiss Army knife for the Chairman and members,
handling photography, videography, and everything in between while making sure down-dais members get their moment too. Launching a Committee Instagram account from scratch and turning it into a real growth engine isn't a small lift. Bryce made it look easy.
Durell Thomas
Digital Media, Office of Sen. Ruben Gallego (D)Durell got thrown into this role and simply excelled — a phrase that shows up more than once in his nomination pile. His photography and videography work has turned dry government imagery into something people actually want to look at, landscapes of Arizona and all. But what really stands out is how he treats the people in front of his lens: nominators describe him going out of his way to make sure everyone, camera-shy staffers included, feels good about how they look before anything gets posted. He'll hop on a flight the next morning for an event he wasn't even scheduled for. As one nominator summed it up: he's also an outstanding person and colleague.
Prisila Muñoz
Digital Director, House Judiciary Committee (R)Leading digital for a Committee as high-profile — and high-volume — as Judiciary is not for the faint of heart, but Prisila's nominators make it clear she's built for it: consistently producing creative, timely, and effective content that strengthens the Committee's message and expands its reach.
Translating dense legislative fights into something people will actually stop scrolling for is a genuinely hard skill, and one nominator credits her judgment and work ethic for making it look routine. An invaluable player behind one of the most-watched Committees on the Hill.
Mikaela Querido
Digital Director, Office of Rep. Dwight Evans (D)Making a retiring, not-exactly-digital-native member of Congress feel relevant online is no small feat, but Mikaela's pulled it off for nearly two years. Nominators describe her relentless pursuit for greatness
and her knack for finding the human story behind the policy. She turns policy content into something people actually want to engage with. As one colleague wrote, Mikaela is able to tell the human stories behind policy, using her digital art to remind us of why we celebrate our collective accomplishments.
With Rep. Evans heading into retirement, expect Mikaela's next office to be very lucky.