For our fourth installment, we are pleased to feature Irene Bueno, a co-founder and partner of NVG.  We’re thrilled to have her be a part of the series to pass along her experience and knowledge.

What was your first job in politics?

The summer after my Freshman year at UC Berkeley, I wanted to work for a Democratic elected official.  Unfortunately I could not find a position with a Democrat but a Republican California State Senator Dan O’Keefe had an opening so I worked for him.   I think it gave me a chance to better understand the Republican party and to helped me to solidify my decision to be a Democrat.

Everyday you must….

Eat breakfast and read the Washington Post Front Page and Style sections.

I never waste my time on…

Spending time with mean and dishonest people

Something that I do that is Risky:

I compete in Latin ballroom dancing.

I’ve always wanted to:

To speak Spanish fluently and to join the Peace Corp.

***

Not only is Irene an inspiration in her profession, she also inspires all of us in her striving for balance in her personal life too.  I love that she takes the time to pursue her passion for dancing all while tending to her family and working for change.

How else does Irene Rock it Out?

Her advocacy has proven to be effective – most recently, her clients saw their policy priorities reflected with the inclusion of language in the Affordable Care Act and the Higher Education Opportunity Act.  

Before co-founding NVG, Irene served as in the Clinton administration as Special Assistant to the President in the White House Chief of Staff’s Office and Domestic Policy Council and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation at the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

As we continue our Women Who Rock series, it is not surprising we have a long list of women to feature.  For our third installment, The Washingtonian beat us to the punch in identifying this star on the rise in their “40 under 40″ list in June of last year.  But we are just pleased that Jennifer Stewart, who recently founded Stewart Strategies & Solutions took some time to answer our questions.

What was your first job in politics?

Legislative Assistant for Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

Everyday you must….

Look in the mirror and be happy with the decisions made by the person staring back at you.

I never waste my time on…

Convincing someone of something, when that person thinks he or she is always right!  Life is too short.  Who has time for that?

Something that I do that is Risky:

Talk to people without a filter…With me, what you see, is what you get.

I’ve always wanted to:

Start a non-profit for young girls in DC to help them experience the simple life lessons I learned growing up in Louisiana.  It is important to teach them that everything doesn’t have to be big… The best things are simple.

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It is true.  The best things in life are simple, but certainly Jennifer has done her fair share of complicated to be able to have this healthy sense of perspective.

More reasons that Jennifer rocks:

Prior to forming Stewart Strategies & Solutions, Stewart’s career highlights include her service as a senior policy advisor at Bryan Cave, LLP.  Prior to Bryan Cave, LLP, she served as senior manager in the federal government affairs department for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals (AZ). In this role she built and strengthened AZ’s relationships with Democratic members of Congress and a range of ally and advocacy groups, including the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and the New Democrats. In addition, she helped develop action plans to implement AZ’s federal government affairs objectives, enhanced the company’s reputation and advanced its legislative and external communications agenda.

Stewart’s experience in the government sector includes her tenure as legislative director to Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY). As legislative director, she served the Congressman, his Washington, D.C. legislative staff, and his congressional district staff.

She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at American University.