Background:

What’s your name?

Maisha C. Leek

Who is your boss?

Congressman Chaka Fattah (PA-02)

What is your birthday?

December 26

Where did you grow up?

My father was in the U.S. Air Force so I bounced around a lot (Germany mostly and yes, I can provide my long form birth certificate). In Philly, I’m reppin’ West Philly.

Where did you go to college and what was your major?

Undergrad: Trinity College (DC) – Communication major (I’m a professor in the same department at my undergrad).Grad School: University of Pennsylvania  – Fels School of Government

Professional

What was your first political job?

I spent a cycle trying to “win back the Majority” with the DCCC on campaigns in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.

What was your biggest break in politics?

It was less of a break than a realization. I was an AmeriCorps volunteer and Congress threatened to cut our funding despite the great work we were doing in DC neighborhoods. We wrote letters and provided testimony begging for our funding and talking about the great value of our programming. I decided then, that begging to serve my community wasn’t going to be the best way to make an impact. I had to find a way to get directly to the decision makers. The next year I was working at EMILY’s List and I’ve been in politics and government ever since.

How long have you worked with your boss?

5 years

What was your position when you first started in the office?

On the Hill, Director of Special Projects. I had already worked for the Congressman, off the Hill, for three years at that point.

What’s the worst job outside of politics you have ever had?

I’ve been very lucky I haven’t had a bad job – not even as a teenager. I spent my summers in science camp (I wanted to be an engineer) so I missed the whole summer nightmare job saga.

What’s the worst job outside of politics you have ever had?

I’ve been very lucky I haven’t had a bad job – not even as a teenager. I spent my summers in science camp (I wanted to be an engineer) so I missed the whole summer nightmare job saga.

Personal

What has been your proudest single accomplishment/achievement since working on Capitol Hill?

Our office is working with Democratic leadership to advance and promote American manufacturing. To date we’ve brought our local manufacturers to the table with Congressional leadership and Cabinet officials, increased funding in the Manufacturers Extension Program, and are crafting legislation to spiral up our R&D capacity and ensure that products developed by federal research dollars are made in the U.S.

What is your favorite PA sports team?

Eagles

Where and what do you eat lunch on most days?

Most days I’m having lunch at my desk. I am the queen of the cafeteria salad bar and vending machine.

Favorite “political” movie?

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Blackberry or I-Phone?

Blackberry

What political figure do you most admire (excluding your boss), and a sentence or two why?

Two modern day young heroes – CA Attorney General Kamala Harris and former Bush White House Communication staffer Nicole Wallace.Both have made it in politics by their own rules, have strong commitment to values, and are great professionals.  On AG Harris: Who says women and Democrats can’t be tough on crime?Wallace is less of a political figure and more of an example of political professionalism at its best. She took a lot of crap after working on the Palin side of the McCain Palin campaign – a lot of the jabs came from Palin herself. Despite criticism that most (on both sides of the aisle) described as unfounded, she refused to participate in the post-campaign blame game circus. Although she had the resources to write a tell-all book instead she wrote a novel about a woman who ran for president and she named the dog in the book “Sarah”.

What makes a Chief of Staff “good” and why? What advice would you give to the aspiring Chiefs of Staff out there?

I think a good Chief of Staff puts the Member’s agenda and the needs of the constituents first followed closely by the needs of the staff. Keeping focused on the Member’s agenda – which is the interest and concerns of the people and institutions in his/her District – drives everything else. I’d advise aspiring COS’s to find a mentor, someone who has found their footing, who knows how the Hill operates, who understands like no one else the challenges that come with the job.