Betsy Wright Hawkings

Betsy Wright Hawkings is an Advisor to Unite America, a non-partisan organization that seeks to bridge the partisan divide by enacting electoral reforms. She also serves as a senior advisor to Issue One, a leading cross-partisan political reform organization. She served as chief of staff for four members of Congress over 25 years, including her hometown Congressman Christopher Shays, helping build bipartisan coalitions to balance the federal budget in 1995-96; apply civil rights, fair labor standards and workplace safety laws to Congress; and establish the 9-11 Commission and implement its recommendations. She served as the founding Managing Director of Democracy Fund’s Principled Leadership and Effective Governance program, where she led analysis of congressional dysfunction through development of their systems map (www.democracyfund.org/congressmap); and built a grant portfolio focused on fostering dialogue across the ideological spectrum and reducing incentives for hyper-partisanship and gridlock in government; developing campaigns for congressional systems, processes and procedures; and promoting innovative programs to deepen leadership development for members of Congress and staff. She now serves as Managing Partner of Article One Advisors, a consulting firm focused on providing expert analysis of Congress and strategic advice to organizations seeking to support improved function in the institution.