GU Politics Introduces New Fellows to Capitol Campus

A former White House legislative director and a Miami mayor will be the first Georgetown University Institute of Politics & Public Service (GU Politics) fellows based at the Capitol Campus, the university announced Sept. 3. 

Louisa Terrell, the White House legislative affairs director during the Biden administration, and former City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R) will host public service discussions and office hours at Georgetown’s Capitol Campus in Fall 2026. The extension of GU Politics’ semesterly fellows program to the Capitol Campus comes as the university seeks to expand its downtown presence. 

Terrell, who worked within both the Biden and Obama administrations as well as Senator Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) office, said she values interdisciplinary thinking and emphasises shared human interaction. 

“You have to figure out how to connect,” Terrell told The Hoya. “Some of this you just do better when you have a moment where you speak to someone. Finding just human things to connect on is so vital.”

GU Politics names fellows based on both their professional experience and commitment to student engagement. Terrell will host a discussion section exploring policy, politics and the future of the Democratic Party. Suarez will host a section focused on public service, specifically discussing how taxes, regulation, public safety, quality of life and political leadership influence where people choose to build and grow cities.

Brooks Clifford (CAS, McCourt ’27), a public policy major studying at the Capitol Campus, said he thinks the fellows program is a welcome addition to the McCourt School of Public Policy. 

“From the perspective of an undergraduate student at McCourt, it feels like the mission of McCourt is very well-reflected in my experiences,” Clifford wrote to The Hoya. 

Terrell said her discussion section will analyze the Democratic Party’s shortcomings in 2024 and its current state.

“We’ve been concentrating on just winning in our blue states and our blue cities,” Terrell said. “We have to make inroads into the South and back in the West. What does it mean to do so? What does the party need to do to do that?”

Terrell added that Democrats should focus on connecting with new demographics, rather than striving for mass appeal. 

“What I want is to feel like the Democrats are growing, as opposed to fighting tooth and nail for our 10 states and our 10 big cities,” Terrell said. “If you mean everything to everybody, you mean nothing.”

“The party must focus on not just talking a big game,” Terrell added.

In previous years, GU Politics has selected fellows to host discussion sections and office hours on the Hilltop, and since 2015, 117 fellows have joined the community for a semester. This year, for the first time, two fellows will work at the Capitol Campus and engage directly with McCourt students. 

Quinn Luk (CAS, McCourt ’30), who plans to attend Terrell’s discussion group, said the new fellows reaffirm McCourt’s mission of centering action and promoting student-faculty interaction.

“I feel the whole school distinguishes itself from other schools by being less theoretical and more about actually streamlining action,” Luk said.

“There’s definitely an emphasis on the professors trying to get students to broaden their view of what policy is, to include the private sector and consulting,” Luk added.

Clifford said GU Politics fellows’ addition to McCourt will enrich his experience with faculty. 

“The faculty I have gotten to interact with and learn from are dedicated to both pursuing these values when they advance policy in their fields and teaching us how to think about our policy interests in ways that will eventually help us to effectively design and implement policy for the common good,” Clifford wrote. “Additionally, the organizations I have had the pleasure to be involved in at McCourt all embody this mission as well.”

Terrell said she is excited to join the Georgetown community. 

“I really love the Jesuit piece of Georgetown,” Terrell said. “It has meant something to me, and I think that’s a really important part of the vibes at Georgetown.”