Career Cafe- Nicole Herman, MA-SPS '22

When: Tuesday, February 24th 2026, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EST

Location: Elliott School of International Affairs, Graduate Student Lounge, 1957 E Street Northwest, Washington, D.C

Join Elliott's GSS Career Café with free coffee/tea and great conversation! This casual, open discussion will feature GW-Elliott alumna Nicole Herman, MA-SPS '23 who is the Legislative Aide to Senate Majority Leader, Sen. John Thune (R-SD). WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
Nicole's experience- transferring skills from subnational to national level and how her International Affairs degree (MA-SPS) has been integral to her work. 
What it is like to work on The Hill, how the Majority leader's work load might differ from others, and her role in the office of the Senate Majority Leader Thune. 
Advice and insight on navigating changes in government, structure and administration priorities
BIONicole is a Legislative Aide in the U.S. Senate leading the government operations and FEMA portfolio and assisting the defense, foreign relations, and commerce portfolios. She has nearly five years of bicameral, congressional experience under two administrations helping constituents, passing legislation, and handling everything in between. She tracks portfolio actions, prepares for committee hearings, produces vote recommendations, handles outreach to agencies and companies, and meets with stakeholder groups.Prior to working in the Senate, she worked at the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area and for Fairfax County's Alternative Dispute Resolution Department. She holds a B.A. in Conflict Analysis & Resolution from George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, studied abroad at the University of Oxford’s New College as a visiting student reading philosophy, politics, and economics, and holds a M.A. in Security Policy Studies '23 from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.ESIA NO-SHOW POLICY IN EFFECT.In order to ensure the effectiveness of the services offered by the Elliott School's Graduate Student Services and maintain professionalism and courtesy between graduate students, alumni, professional staff, and our Employer Partners, the No-Show Policy is in effect for this event. Should you need to cancel your registration, you must log in to Handshake and update your RSVP, or contact our office [email protected] no later than 24 hours before any career event.DRESS CODE-  BUSINESS CASUAL/CASUAL