Penn Hill Group is thrilled to enter 2022 with an expanded team featuring additional expertise and capacity. The past two years have demonstrated how critical education and workforce issues are to our nation’s prosperity and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen significant Federal investments in education occur in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and have successfully served our clients who are actively engaged in shaping the scope and implementation of these resources. We continue to help our partners prepare for upcoming reauthorizations and funding opportunities as well as help them engage in policy activity in the executive branch and develop strategies for the next Congress. To better serve our clients, we have recently added eight new team members. Our newest team members are integral parts of Penn Hill Group and we cannot wait to see all that they achieve as part of the company.

Penn Hill Group’s leadership team expanded this year, with the addition of Elyse Wasch as Vice President and Rachel Dinkes as a Senior Advisor.

Elyse Wasch brings more than 25 years of experience in the legislative branch to her role at Penn Hill Group. Most recently, she served as Legislative Director and Deputy Chief of Staff for Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) for 16 years. She collaborated on a bipartisan basis to pass legislation addressing issues such as COVID-19, education, libraries, health care, unemployment, housing, defense and immigration. Elyse will use her extensive Capitol Hill knowledge and experience to strengthen Penn Hill Group’s policy expertise and strategic consulting.

Rachel Dinkes joins the Penn Hill Group team as a Senior Advisor and also serves as President of Knowledge Alliance. She provides invaluable expertise following her work as a Principal Researcher at the American Institutes for Research, where she supported research projects for the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Additionally, she served as a United States delegate to three Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) education groups and represented the United States at over 40 international meetings. She holds a PhD from The George Washington University and a Masters’ Degree from the London School of Economics.

Penn Hill Group also added two senior associates, Juan Romero-Casillas and Gerry Regep, to the team.

Juan Romero-Casillas previously worked at the Library of Congress as a Contract Specialist, as a Library Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and as a math teacher for a non-profit organization in Puerto Rico. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Puerto Rico and a graduate degree in Public Policy from The George Washington University.

Gerry Regep joined Penn Hill Group after completing a legislative fellowship in the office of Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). Following his graduation from Bradley College with a degree in Political Science and Philosophy, Gerry served as a 2018 Teach for America corps member in Fort Worth, Texas. He also interned with the Lone Star Public Policy Institute.

In addition, four new associates joined the Penn Hill Group team: Soraya Zrikem, Nathan Hora, Alex Davis and Erin Grant.

Penn Hill Group welcomed a former intern, Soraya Zrikem, to the associate team in May of 2020. Soraya graduated from the University of Michigan where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) and English. Prior to joining Penn Hill Group, Soraya worked as a College Access and Success Ambassador at the Center for Educational Outreach at the University of Michigan and interned for 826Michigan, a national non-profit that provides literacy and tutoring support in the metro-Detroit area.

Nathan Hora also joined the Penn Hill Group team as an associate in May. Nathan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and minor in Law, Justice and Public Policy from Michigan State University. He has previously served as a legislative intern for State Rep. Lori Stone (MI-28), State Sen. Steve Glazer (CA-7) and Sen. Gary Peters (MI).

Another former Penn Hill Group intern, Alex Davis, began working as an associate during the summer of 2021. Alex Davis joined Penn Hill Group after graduating from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and a minor in China & Asia-Pacific Studies. In addition to his experience interning at Penn Hill Group, Alex was actively involved with Cornell University organizations that advocated for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Erin Grant joined the associate team in August, following her graduation from the University of Michigan. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and a minor in Latin Language and Literature. Previously, Erin interned with CARE International and the Borgen Project.

Penn Hill Group is excited to be entering a new year with new team members focused on delivering results for key stakeholders in the Federal education and workforce fields.