Kathie Green, Constituent Services and Immigration Specialist, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN)
Kathie Green served in the United States House of Representatives for 13 years, beginning in 2007 when she started as a Constituent Liaison for Representative Mark Souder (R-IN). Following his departure from Congress, she was hired by both of his successors: Representative Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) and Representative Jim Banks (R-IN). She continued to both serve in the constituent services role and manage a team.
During her tenure with Rep. Banks, she exhibited a passion for getting people the help they need. She worked hard to develop positive relationships with federal agency partners, enabling them to collaborate to find solutions to constituents' problems. Additionally, Green worked with other congressional offices to help them develop their capacity and share lessons she has learned to help others outside of our region. When confronted with a significant influx of cases related to foreign travel, she handled each one with care and proficiency. Most recently, her passion for this work was on display during the initial few weeks of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While working remotely, there were days where she would make phone calls to constituents and agency contacts, getting answers to their questions for 10 or more hours a day. It is not an exaggeration to say she would make 100 calls a day to help people with their problems.
About 10 years ago, Green worked with a colleague and House Information Resources to develop an email listserv to help other constituent services personnel, provide information, and allow staff to network with each other. This development came in the wake of her working with her employing office to develop a manual that other congressional offices could use as a point of reference for training staff who work in constituent services. This document is now a standard reference for colleagues and has been cited by professional organizations like the Congressional Management Foundation and LegiDash for the value of its content. Green and her team have hosted biennial training sessions that have attracted staff to northeast Indiana from as far away as Guam and have been tapped by the Congressional Staff Academy staff to contribute to constituent services workshops.
Finally, and most importantly, the Banks office often heard about Green's work from grateful constituents who she helped in one way or another. In addition to her service to Congress, she has volunteered with area parent-teacher associations at the local and state levels. She has been recognized for this work by the local school corporation, the Indiana Department of Education, and was Indiana's delegate to the Mom Congress in 2012. Kathie Green retired from Congress in March 2021.
Joe Novotny, Reading Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
Joe Novotny served in the United States House of Representatives for the past 30 years. He began his work as a House Page at the age of 16, appointed by his home state member, Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL) from 1991 until 1992. He then completed an internship in Rep. Rostenkowski's office from 1993 until 1994, followed by an internship in the Office of Rep. George Miller (D-CA) in 1995. From 1995 until 2000, he served on the House Resource Committee rising to the role of Legislative Assistant. From 2001 until 2006, he served as a Legislative Assistant for the House Education and the Workforce Committee before becoming the Chief Clerk of that committee and serving in that capacity from 2007 until 2010. In 2010, he was appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve as the Reading Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives – her only appointment to this position, and a role he has held since that time.
In this role, Novotny was fundamentally responsible for creating the permanent public record of our nation. He kept the official papers of the House, tracked and inserted all amendments into bills that pass throughout the course of the daily legislative process on the House Floor, and archived all records of the Clerk. Without his diligence, the nation might not have had the accurate basic historical documents to refer to when seeking the legislative history of our nation. Likewise, Joe's experience, knowledge, and demeanor led him to be an indispensable resource for Members, staff, and congressional fellows. Novotny was the first openly gay House Reading Clerk in the House. In that capacity, he made history and served as a role model and resource for the LGBTQ community both on and off Capitol Hill.
As one of the most visible and consistent faces on C-SPAN and one of a handful of congressional staff faces regularly seen, Novotny was viewed by millions as a trusted and calming voice in the oft chaotic political process. He never wavered from his professional duty regardless of the circumstances, which included fulfilling the requirements of House Floor staff to be present on the House Floor at the start of the coronavirus pandemic as well as remaining on the House Floor up to the moment of its evacuation on January 6 during the attack on the U.S. Capitol – and then returning in the days that followed.
Through his essentially flawless delivery of his job, he became an ambassador of the House to the public and as long as videos of his work remain available on YouTube and C-SPAN, his reputation for professionalism and respect of for the institution will endure. As Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stated on March 4, 2021, Novotny was the "voice of the House" and "uses his strong, steady presence and trusted leadership to advance the ability of the People's House to do the people's work." Novotny retired from Congress in April 2021.
