Speakers

NARFE Staff

John Hatton is NARFE’s staff vice president for policy and programs. In this position, Hatton directs the association’s public policy activities, leading NARFE’s advocacy to defend and advance the earned rights and benefits of America’s active and retired federal workers, and has served NARFE’s advocacy mission in various roles since July 2010.  John also oversees NARFE’s Federal Benefits Institute and events. Prior to that, he worked for the U.S. Senate’s subcommittee overseeing federal workforce policy, and as a litigation attorney for Steptoe & Johnson. John holds a Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations with a concentration in Economics from Cornell University.

Randall “RJ” Thacker began his career by knocking on doors for Lew Nicholls, a democratic candidate for State Representative in Northern Kentucky. He has since worked in the field organizing for the campaigns to elect Doug Jones, Rev. Warnock, Jon Ossoff, and most recently, Nabeela Syed in Illinois. RJ is a graduate of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in Syracuse University with a Master’s in Public Administration, and a recent graduate of The Federal Officer Candidate School (OCS) for the U.S. Army. He began working with NARFE soon after his graduation from ‘OCS’ and is excited to be using the skills he has gained over his career to advocate for Federal Employees, active and retired.

Nicole Blackstone serves NARFE’s members as the Grassroots and Policy Manager, overseeing the Federal Benefits Institute and supporting NARFE’s advocacy priorities. Throughout her career, Nicole has experience in campaign field organization, non-profit event management, and political consulting, all of which has cultivated a strong passion for service to others and fostering equitable environments for all. Nicole is a proud graduate of the University of Kentucky, where she received bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Sociology, and also holds a Master’s in Legislative Affairs from the George Washington University. When she isn’t focused on retirement benefits, you can find Nicole cheering for the Kentucky Wildcats, playing fetch with her dog Nova, or reading in the sun.

William Shackelford, NARFE’s National President, has extensive NARFE experience. He has been the president and first and second vice president of the Virginia Federation and has served as the service officer, newsletter editor, vice president and president of Fairfax Chapter 0737. He served with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for more than 34 years, retiring in 2006. Shackelford holds a Bachelor of Science degree in judicial administration from American University and an associate degree in law enforcement science from Northern Virginia Community College.

Breakout Speaker

Bradford Fitch is the former CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation. He has spent 40 years in Washington as a journalist, congressional aide, consultant, college instructor, Internet entrepreneur, and writer/researcher. He is a leading trainer of citizen-advocates in the U.S., with more than 50,000 Americans participating in one of his programs. 

Fitch got his start in communications as a DJ for his local AM radio station in Upstate NY at the age of 16. He is a former radio and television reporter, and worked on Capitol Hill for 13 years as press secretary, legislative director, and chief of staff. From 2001-2005 he served as Deputy Director of CMF. He left CMF in 2006 to form a new company, Knowlegis, now a part of FiscalNote. He returned to CMF in 2010, where he served 14 as CEO. 

Fitch also is the author of Citizen’s Handbook to Influencing Elected Officials and Media Relations Handbook for Agencies, Associations, Nonprofits and Congress. His work and interviews have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CBC News, NPR, among others. He taught journalism and public communications at American University in Washington, D.C, where he served an adjunct Associate Professor of Communications. 

Members of Congress

Representative Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02) was born and raised in the city of Philadelphia. The son of an immigrant, Congressman Boyle’s father was a janitor for SEPTA and his mother was a school crossing guard.
The first in his family to attend college, he attended the University of Notre Dame and later graduated from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government with a master’s degree in Public Policy.

He was elected to the Pennsylvania state legislature in 2008, becoming the first Democrat to ever represent his legislative district. Two years later his brother, Kevin, was also elected to the state legislature, making them the first brothers to serve together in the state House. In 2014, Congressman Boyle pulled off a major upset win over three better funded rivals to be elected to Congress. 

Now in his sixth term, Congressman Boyle is the Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee. He is also Vice Chair of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Political Committee and a Visiting Lecturer at Princeton University. 

Representative Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07) (pronounced Kwah-EE-see Oom-FOO-may), was born, raised and educated in the city of Baltimore and it was there that he followed his dreams to impact society and to help shape public policy. 

He attended Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland where as an honors student he graduated magna cum laude. He later returned there to join the staff as an adjunct professor teaching courses in Political Science and Communications. He was voted the University’s 2013 Alumnus of the Year. 

As Mfume’s community involvement grew, so did his experience as an activist, radio commentator, administrator, and TV personality. By the age of thirty-one he had won his first election to the Baltimore City Council. 

Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-NM-01) Born and raised in New Mexico, Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury leads with determination and compassion. She has dedicated her career to finding solutions to water issues, poverty, and climate change — representing New Mexico in the Legislature and now in Congress. She is a champion of efforts to address hunger, food, and water insecurity, conservation and climate change, and economic development and recovery.

Rep. Stansbury worked in communities across the state as a STEM educator, researcher on land and water issues, and served as a staffer in the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the White House Office of Management and Budget. As the Congresswoman from New Mexico’s First Congressional District, she is working hard to lift up the voices of our communities and tackle our biggest challenges— from economic development, to food and water security, to climate change. 

Congresswoman Stansbury serves New Mexicans on the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. 

Representative Glenn Ivey (D-MD-04) is an attorney who served on Capitol Hill as chief counsel to the Senate Majority Leader, as counsel to Senator Paul Sarbanes during the Whitewater investigations, Chief Majority Counsel to the Senate Banking Committee, and on the staff of Rep. John Conyers (D-MI). He also worked for U.S. Attorney Eric Holder as an assistant U. S. Attorney, and as chair of Maryland’s Public Service Commission. He was twice elected as State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County where he worked with the Obama Administration to cut crime.

Ivey resides in Prince George’s County with his wife, Jolene, a County Councilmember. He has six kids, one daughter, and five sons. His son, Julian, serves as a Delegate for District 47A in the Maryland House of Delegates. Ivey is a graduate of Princeton University (A.B. 1983) and Harvard Law School (J.D. 1986). 

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) elected to the United States Senate by the people of Maryland in November 2016, Chris Van Hollen is committed to fighting every day to ensure that our state and our country live up to their full promise of equal rights, equal justice, and equal opportunity. 

Senator Van Hollen believes that every child deserves the opportunity to pursue their dreams and benefit from a quality education, and that anyone willing to work hard should be able to find a good job. That’s why his top priorities include creating more and better jobs, strengthening small businesses, and increasing educational and job training opportunities for individuals of all ages and in every community. 

Chris Van Hollen is a graduate of Swarthmore College, the John F. Kennedy School of Public Policy at Harvard University, and Georgetown University Law Center where he attended night school. He and his wife, Katherine Wilkens, are the proud parents of three children, Anna, Nicholas, and Alexander. 

Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08) is serving his fifth term as the U.S. Representative from Virginia’s 8th District, representing Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, and parts of Fairfax County. He serves on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, and also serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means. 

He was the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1998, and was Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein under President Obama. Rep. Beyer’s signature work as lieutenant governor included advocacy for Virginians with disabilities and ensuring protections for Virginia’s most vulnerable populations as the Commonwealth reformed its welfare system in the mid-1990s. Rep. Beyer was Virginia’s Democratic nominee for governor in 1997. 

Rep. Beyer has spent four decades building his family business in Northern Virginia after a summer job at a car dealership in 1974. He is a graduate of Williams College and Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC. He was named a Presidential Scholar by President Lyndon Johnson. 

Rep. Beyer has four children and two grandchildren. He and his wife Megan live in Alexandria, Virginia. 

Congressional Staff Panel