Alumni A Round-Up of the Cornellians on the Hill—Capitol Hill Stories You May Like Cornellians-in-Chief? A Roundup of Big Red Presidential Hopefuls Sick and Tired of Politics? Here’s Why It (Really) Matters ‘Your Values Will Help You Decide What to Do’ Seven alumni are currently serving in Congress, including a newly elected senator from Michigan By Joe Wilensky As the 119th U.S. Congress began its session in January 2025, the total number of Cornellians serving remained the same as last year—seven—although one person moved from the House to the Senate. Democrat Elissa Slotkin ’98, who served three terms representing Michigan’s 7th District, was elected her state’s newest senator, defeating a Republican opponent. Slotkin becomes the first Cornellian elected to the Senate since Mark Kirk ’81 (R-Illinois), who finished the final months of then-President Barack Obama’s Senate term and then served one full term from 2010–17. Slotkin is only the seventh Cornellian (including two who attended but didn’t earn degrees) to serve in the U.S. Senate. Here’s a look at the alumni currently serving on that other “Hill” in D.C.: Katherine Clark, JD ’89 A seventh-term Democrat, Clark represents Massachusetts’s 5th District, which includes a diverse mix of cities and towns north and west of Boston, including Cambridge. She has served as the House minority whip, the legislative body’s second-highest ranking Democrat, since 2023. She had previously served as assistant speaker of the 117th Congress. Clark has advocated against online abuse and for ending wage discrimination, protecting women’s healthcare, and expanding childcare options for working parents. She previously served as a state senator and state representative, as well as general counsel for the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services. In addition to her JD, she earned an undergrad degree from St. Lawrence and an MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She is part of a Cornellian family: her husband is Rodney “Scott” Dowell, JD ’89, and her father was H. Chandler Clark ’49, LLB ’56. Sharice Davids, JD ’10 Davids, a Democrat, is in her fourth term representing Kansas’s 3rd District, which includes Kansas City and Overland Park. A first-generation college grad, Davids became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress in 2018. She has served as vice chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and chair of the Committee on Small Business, as well as on the Joint Economic and the Steering and Policy committees; she co-chaired both the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and the Congressional Native American Caucus. She has focused on increasing access to affordable healthcare, investing in infrastructure that also creates jobs, lowering student loan debt, and more. A member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, Davids was raised by a single mother who was an Army drill sergeant; she has trained in mixed martial arts and was a professional MMA fighter after attending the University of Missouri and Cornell Law School. Wesley Hunt, MBA ’15, MPA ’15, MILR ’16 The newest Cornellian in Congress, Hunt is a Republican in his second term representing Texas’s 38th District, which includes the Houston suburbs. A Houston native from a military family, he attended West Point, graduating in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in leadership and management and a concentration in mechanical engineering. He spent eight years in the Army as an aviation branch officer and Apache helicopter pilot, with one combat deployment to Iraq. He also had two deployments to Saudi Arabia, during which he served as a diplomatic liaison officer. After being honorably discharged as a captain, Hunt headed to Cornell’s joint MPA/MBA program and earned another master’s from the ILR School. He has served on the House Judiciary, Natural Resources, and Small Business committees. Stories You May Like Cornellians-in-Chief? A Roundup of Big Red Presidential Hopefuls Sick and Tired of Politics? Here’s Why It (Really) Matters Dan Meuser ’88 A Republican, the Arts & Sciences alum is in his fourth term representing Pennsylvania’s 9th District, located in the east central part of the state. Meuser has served on the Education and Labor, Veterans’ Affairs, and Budget committees. He has also been a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, the Republican Study Committee, the Border Security Caucus, the Congressional Coal Caucus, and the U.S.-China Working Group. Meuser attended New York Maritime University (now SUNY Maritime College) before transferring to Cornell on a Navy ROTC scholarship. He was an executive at Pride Health Care, later known as Pride Mobility Products, a healthcare products manufacturer. In 2011, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett nominated him to serve as the state’s secretary of revenue; he led the department until he ran for Congress in 2018. Elissa Slotkin ’98 The CALS alum is a Democrat serving as the newly elected junior senator from Michigan. She previously served three terms in the House representing Michigan’s 7th District. In the House, she was on the Armed Services, Homeland Security, and Veterans’ Affairs committees and worked to bring supply chains and manufacturing back to Michigan and to expand access to healthcare and lower prescription drug prices. According to her Senate website, she will prioritize expanding the state’s middle class, creating jobs with dignity, and keeping communities and children safe. Slotkin grew up on her family farm in a small town near Flint, Michigan. After majoring in rural sociology on the Hill, she earned a master’s from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. Slotkin worked as a Middle East analyst for the CIA, including three tours in Iraq as a militia expert, and in several defense and intelligence positions for the White House and Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In 2011, she moved to a senior position at the Pentagon and served as acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. Melanie Stansbury, MS ’07 A Democrat, Stansbury was re-elected to a third term representing New Mexico’s 1st District, covering the state’s central area including most of Albuquerque; she had initially won the seat in a special election in 2021. She has served on the Natural Resources; Science, Space, and Technology; and Oversight and Accountability committees. After graduating from Saint Mary’s College of California with a BA in human ecology and natural science, Stansbury earned a master’s in community and regional sociology on the Hill and went on to a career in public service—a direction she has said was sparked by a Cornell in Washington course. Stansbury previously worked on science, natural resources, and tribal issues in the White House Office of Management and Budget; was a staffer in the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; and served as a New Mexico state representative. Beth Van Duyne ’95 The Arts & Sciences alum is a Republican in her third term representing Texas’s 24th District, located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. When she first won her seat in 2020, she became only the second Republican woman from Texas elected to the House. She has served on the Ways and Means and Small Business committees, as well as the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. Prior to serving in Congress, Van Duyne served as a regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; as Mayor of Irving, Texas, from 2011–17; and as an Irving city councilor. She has also served as the Texas chair for the Community Leaders of America, was on the board of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and ran an executive consulting business. Top: Photo illustration by Cornell University; all portraits provided. Published January 8, 2025 Comments Andrew Weber, Class of 1977 12 Jan, 2025 Very proud of Cornell alumni serving our government. Hope like Jimmy Carter serve the people and make the world better and safer for my grandchildren Reply Anne Paulin, Class of 1987 12 Jan, 2025 A wonderfully diverse group! Rooting for you to be successful in your service. Reply Kevin Bruns, Class of 1979 13 Jan, 2025 It’s regrettable that one of the Cornell representatives used the catastrophic LA fire, still roaring and destroying lives and property, to score political points. Americans in need—whether in Texas with its Houston flooding or Florida, its hurricanes, or California—deserve the support and sympathy of all Americans. Obviously, Rep. Hunt didn’t learn good old-fashioned American empathy and decency during his years on the Hill. Reply April S Tan, Class of 1996 14 Jan, 2025 So inspiring to read our alumni in Congress, especially those are on the small business committee as a Small Business Commissioner emeritus who continues to be involved in the commission to advocate for more #support! Reply Jim Blumling, Class of 1975 16 Jan, 2025 I am proud of my Cornell Engineering education, and it comforts me to know that my fellow alumni have the education and intelligence to make the right decisions for our country. Hopefully they can find common ground to move our country forward and have the courage to value country over party in all they do. Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Bear Hugs He Couldn’t Find a Kids’ Book about Ithaca—So He Wrote One Quizzes & Puzzles Could You Have Gotten into Cornell in the 19th Century? Storytime with Corey What’s the Most Iconic Cornell Tradition? Eight Contenders Remain!