Press Releases

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Congressman French Hill (AR-02) announced that two members of his staff have been selected as fellows in the 116^th Congress Stennis Emerging Congressional Staff Leaders Program. 

"I am proud of Anna Wilbourn and Matt Karvelas for pursuing this opportunity to better serve central Arkansas," said Congressman Hill. "As a former business owner and current congressman, I know the positive effect that well-trained and effective congressional staff have on our nation and on public policy." 

Anna Wilbourn was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. She graduated from Georgetown University in 2015 with a B.S. in the Biology of Global Health. While at Georgetown, she interned in for both Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) and Rep. French Hill (R-AR), before joining the office of Rep. French Hill (R-AR) as a full-time staffer at the start of 2016. She now serves as a Legislative Assistant for health policy.

Matt Karvelas Matt was born and raised in Arlington, Virginia. He graduated from the University of Lynchburg with a degree in Business Administration and Sports Marketing. He started his Capitol Hill career as an intern for Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) before joining the office of Rep. French Hill (R-AR) as a full-time staffer at the start of 2015. He now serves as Senior Legislative Assistant focusing on conservation and energy policy.

Background on the Stennis Emerging Congressional Staff Leaders Program:

The Emerging Leaders program is a mentoring program whose purpose is to provide personal encouragement and guidance from veteran congressional staff to younger staff who have demonstrated significant leadership potential during the early stages of their careers on Capitol Hill. To date, more than 100 young staffers have participated in the Emerging Leaders program.

Through a combination of one-on-one mentoring and group discussions, the program nurtures leadership skills and fosters a commitment to public service among congressional staff.

Emerging Leaders pair with Senior Stennis Fellows who serve as mentors. Mentors and Emerging Leaders meet over several months to learn how to be more effective in their jobs. Together they discuss legislative procedures used on the U.S. House and Senator floors, the nexus between policies and politics, and how to help their Members achieve legislative goals. The program also connects the Emerging Leaders in a network not only to each other and across party lines and chambers, but also to the Senior Stennis Fellows.