Get to know Michelle Dorothy🎙️

Get to know Michelle Dorothy outside of politics in a new episode of Capitol Spotlight, a video and audio podcast from CNCT.

Michelle Dorothy is the Chief of Staff for Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania. Aside from leading her office to winning the Congressional Management Foundation's Democracy Award (three times), Michelle is the co-founder of the Chief of Staff email distribution list - an excellent resource for Chiefs. Much like the email list, Michelle's involvement in the bipartisan Chief of Staff Book Club is another way in which she promotes bipartisan relationships on the Hill.

Get to know more about Michelle...


🏠 Hometown(s): Fort Wayne, Indiana
🎓 Colleges: Indiana University Bloomington, University of Pittsburgh
🔗 CNCT with Michelle about... Your favorite international spirit!


Listen to Michelle's episode to hear about how she manages her award-winning office, her exciting travel stories, and her year-long sabbatical.

04:11: Bipartisan Chief of Staff Book Club
07:38: The goals of the Chief of Staff email list
09:33: How business management helped Michelle on the Hill
11:27: Congressional Management Foundation's Democracy Award
14:30: Tips for a good office environment
17:07: Incentives in the public sector
22:05: Michelle's year-long sabbatical
24:24: Michelle's favorite travel experiences
26:20: Hiking to Mt. Everest base camp
28:52: International spirits and food
33:15: Is grad school valuable for Staffers?
33:50: What matters to Michelle when hiring...
35:18: You don't need to figure everything out now!
39:40: Who is Michelle outside of politics?
42:30: Be someone outside of work

💬 Michelle talks about…

More about Michelle 🌎

Aside from her many work-related achievements, Michelle is a world traveler. In between switching offices, Michelle was able to take a year-long sabbatical to travel, which she recommends others to try if they're able to. She describes herself as "part-nomad" and has been to about 70 countries. Some of Michelle's travel highlights include:

  • Volunteering at Kruger National Park in South Africa for a month

  • Hiking to Mt. Everest base camp

  • Hiking El Camino de Santiago (Lisbon to Santiago in 30 days)

  • Visiting Iceland (one of her favorite countries), 3 or 4 times

In addition to an abundance of travel tips and stories, Michelle also has wisdom to share for those looking to grow professionally and those considering grad school.

If you're looking to connect with someone who is a world traveler, award-winning office manager, and overall joy to get to know, you should talk to Michelle!

If you would like to read more about Michelle, check out CNCT's Staffer Spotlight article here.