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LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL ADVISES
U.S. CONGRESS ON ENERGY ISSUES
AMANDA MERTENS CAMPBELL, CLASS OF 1999

Amanda had numerous academic interests as a Lake Forest College student, so when Professor of English Ben Goluboff suggested that she major in American Studies, it seemed like the perfect fit. With that major, Amanda was able to take classes that crossed several disciplines, including economics, politics, education, history, and religion.

Although her major focused on the United States, Amanda chose to study abroad in the Czech Republic, then a nascent democracy. “To be exposed to that and gain knowledge of their struggles as they found

their footing was an incredible opportunity,” she says. The experience sparked an interest in international relations and travel. It also enhanced her understanding of the United States. “You can’t understand America until you leave America and view it with a set of foreign eyes,” she says.

After graduation, Amanda moved to Germany to learn the language and then went to Roger Williams University School of Law. Following another fellowship in Germany and work at a law firm in Washington, D.C., Amanda started working on Capitol Hill as the minority counsel to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. She advises Republican members on policy issues that range from clean air to natural gas pipeline safety to electricity and utilities to the cap and trade system, and has found that her global perspective has been an asset. “Although I work for Congress on domestic energy issues, without understanding foreign issues I wouldn’t be good at my job,” she says.

In this position, her liberal arts education has served as a strength as well. “Every issue I deal with on the Hill has different components to it,” she says. “Even if it’s a straight energy issue, it might have a public health, tax, or transportation component. Having a liberal arts education was excellent training for dealing with issues that touch so many other issues.”

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