asset to the firm’s burgeoning legislative and public policy practice. “[Senator Lincoln] spent her congressional career seeking bipartisan solutions and now does the same for our clients,” says Jones, former counsel to the Senate Appropriations Committee and former appropriations counsel to Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD). “During her tenure in Congress, Senator Lincoln was able to break every ceiling in the world’s most exclusive club.” After 20 years in public service, any
transition takes time. “When you’re an elected official, it’s like you’re running your own firm with its multiple depart- ments spanning every issue facing the United States government. My name was on the door and I called the shots. You get used to that. At Alston there is a wonderful team that supports one another, but it’s different and I’m adjusting to that,” says Lincoln. “As a senator, I was constantly mov-
ing between meetings with my com- mittee colleagues, or going to the Senate to vote. Like any executive, I was able to put a team in place that managed issue areas and reported directly to me.
go through them myself, and of course I’m as curious as a cat so I read them all. Tat takes up too much time so I am learning to prioritize in my new life.” Lincoln likens her career to an
unplanned journey. From junior Congresswoman to policy adviser at Alston, the path has unfolded on its own. But along the way, Lincoln has relied on a family-instilled, inner com- pass rooted in her faith to help keep her from straying too far off course. Born Blanche Meyers Lambert into
a seventh-generation Arkansas farm- ing family, Lincoln was brought up to believe she could do great things. “My parents encouraged us to be inquisitive, courageous—and to be ourselves. It was pounded into us that anything was achievable provided we were willing to work hard. Tere were only two rules in our house—if it was rude or dangerous, it was not allowed.” After graduat- ing from Randolph Macon Woman’s College (now Randolph College) in 1982 with a degree in biology, Lincoln’s plan was to go into nursing, she says. “But frankly after a tough senior year of lab courses I was feeling a little burned out. I
When you consider the challenges ahead, it is critical that we also have a woman’s perspective in the upcoming public policy debates.
I learned how to make myself efficient but also how to make a professional organization work effectively to accom- plish policy objectives for Arkansas. Today, I have a lot fewer direct reports and unfortunately a lot more access to my email account. In the Senate, my staff helped me manage those. Now I
MCCA.COM
wanted to try something completely new and exciting so I moved to Washington and never looked back.” In D.C., Lincoln worked as a staffer for Arkansas Congressman Bill Alexander (whom years later she would go up against and defeat), and became immediately enamored with the town and govern-
ment—both the good parts and the parts that needed fixing. From the start, she was drawn to finding consensus. As an original cofounder of the
Congressional Blue Dog Caucus, Lincoln was often criticized by her party for voting with the other side and by the right for not being a Republican. In a tough 2010 election cycle, she says, “Tey were coming at me from left and right, but I did what I believed in and have no regrets.” With regard to today’s Congress, she is concerned with a lack of civility and true bipartisanship. “When I first ran for Congress, my
age was more of an issue than my gen- der. After all, ’92 was the year of the woman. Tat year 24 new women were elected to the House and five to the Senate, the largest increase in history. “Tere were a lot of women out
there and I was one of them,” says Lincoln, who is married to physi- cian and fellow Arkansan Dr. Steve Lincoln (they are the parents of twin boys). “Today is different. It’s quite possible that after the upcoming election cycle we’ll have fewer women in Congress than we did 10 years ago. When you consider the challenges ahead, it is critical that we also have a woman’s perspective in the upcoming policy debates.” Yet, Lincoln remains optimis-
tic about the future. “We have to be optimistic because the United States remains the greatest nation of opportunity in the world but most importantly, we owe it to the next generation to be positive. My parents’ love for their country came way before their political views, and I want my children to feel the same way. I loved every minute of public service. It truly was a privilege for me. Now, policy advising is another leg of the journey. I’m passionate about policy, analyzing policy, and problem-solving. Alston & Bird is a place where I can continue to make a difference.” D&B
Patrick Folliard is a freelance writer based in Silver Spring, Md.
JULY/AUGUST 2012 DIVERSITY & THE BAR®
19
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52