John Edgell has, by his own accounts, "convinced a half dozen members of Congress [to] bowl with frozen chickens," "had convicted felons disassemble an automobile in less than five minutes in front of the U.S. Capitol" and "convinced the Drug Enforcement Agency to build a meth lab for a congressional hearing." Now, he's putting his powers of persuasion to the test as Rep. Marcy Kaptur's (D-Ohio) communications director.
But Edgell isn't new to the Hill. From 1985 until 2001, he worked his way around the Democratic side of Congress, starting as a staff assistant for former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and eventually working his way up to legislative director for former Rep. Joseph Kennedy (D-Mass.) and then chief of staff for former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).
Edgell then spent a few years lobbying on behalf of organizations such as the Wheat Gluten Industry Council, the National Candle Association and the Center for Patient Advocacy. Edgell, who holds a bachelor of business administration degree from James Madison University, has worked on five presidential campaigns in all and several congressional campaigns.
From 2014 until he started with Kaptur last month, Edgell worked as a senior congressional officer at the U.S. Department of Labor. He's also served as an adjunct professor at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management, where he recently co-taught a class titled "Influencing the Media."
