Upcoming Courses


Congressional Power and Presidential Authority

From the beginning of the republic to the present day presidents and congressional leaders...

October 16, 2024 (first class meeting)

Executive – Legislative Branch Relations

(2 days) Executive – Legislative Branch Relations is designed for anyone who has a...

October 28 - 29, 2024

Congressional Briefing for Presidential Management Fellows

This course presents an overview of congressional operations and provides Presidential Management Fellows with...

November 18 - 22, 2024


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revise and extend

Read our blog dedicated to providing practical and academic perspectives on congressional policy, politics, and procedure.

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Latest Updates


Director’s Desk

Kristin Nicholson | October 3, 2024

Dear Friends, In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastating toll on the southeastern US, I...

The Annual Appropriations Dance

Josh Huder | October 3, 2024

Congress has once again missed its annual deadline to fund the federal government for the...

Congress Two Beers In: Back to School Edition

GAI | September 9, 2024

On our latest podcast’s episode, Senior Fellow Mark Harkins talks with two college seniors to...


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Faculty Highlights


  • Director

    Kristin Nicholson, J.D.

      Kristin Nicholson became the Director of the Government Affairs Institute in February 2017. Prior to joining GAI, she spent two decades on Capitol Hill, where she served for sixteen years as Chief of Staff to Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI), a senior member of the House Committees on Armed Services and Homeland Security.

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  • Assistant Director

    Worth H. Hester, M.P.A.

    Worth H. Hester, M.P.A., joined the faculty of GAI in 1988 as a Presidential Management Fellow and took the job of Assistant Director in 1999. During seven years of government service, he served as an Employee Development Specialist, Program Analyst, and Legislative Analyst for a Member of Congress.

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  • Senior Fellow

    Mark B. Harkins

    Mark B. Harkins joined the Government Affairs Institute as a Senior Fellow in July 2013 after having been a guest lecturer numerous times back to 2005. Prior to joining GAI, Mark was a government relations professional for more than five years where he focused on the representation of corporate, nonprofit and government clients before Congress and the Executive Branch.

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  • Senior Fellow

    Joshua C. Huder, Ph.D.

    Joshua C. Huder, Ph.D., joined the Government Affairs Institute as a Senior Fellow in 2013. He has taught courses on American government, advanced legislative process, and other American politics courses. He has provided political analysis to several news outlets, including the Washington Post, Congressional Quarterly, Newsweek, Bloomberg News, CNN, the Washington Examiner, U.S. News, Al-Jazeera, Yahoo News, and is a regular contributor for the Christian Science Monitor.

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  • Senior Fellow

    Laura Blessing, Ph.D.

    Laura Blessing, Ph.D. joined the Government Affairs Institute as a Senior Fellow in 2015 and also teaches in the McCourt School of Public Policy. After earning her PhD from the University of Virginia, she worked as an American Political Science Association (APSA) Congressional Fellow, serving as the legislative assistant for tax policy for a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee. Her interests include Congress, political parties, and policy, particularly tax and budget policy.

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  • Senior Fellow

    Matt Glassman, PH.D.

    Matt Glassman, Ph.D., joined the Government Affairs Institute as a Senior Fellow in 2017. He has taught courses on and off the Hill on American government, congressional process, congressional-presidential, and congressional leadership. Prior to joining GAI, Matt worked on the Hill at the Congressional Research Service (CRS) for ten years.

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  • Fellow

    Katina Slavkova

      Katina joined the Government Affairs Institute in February 2008 as Educational Programs Coordinator. Over the time that she has been with GAI, Katina has taken on many different responsibilities by advancing to her current roles as the Director of the Certificate in Legislative Studies program and a Fellow position that is part

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