View of Washington D.C./ Photo: David Mark, Pixaby
Oregon Law’s David Skillman JD ’07, is the Deputy Chief of Staff and Counsel to U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon’s 3rd congressional district. For almost 13 years, he has served in this role – but his path to the Capitol wasn’t always clear cut. In fact, before coming to Oregon Law, he was a computer programmer for a tech company in California. It was in that position that David discovered he had an aptitude for content management systems, but the parent company that owned his employer did not survive the market crash of 2002.
The turn of events provided David an opportunity to pursue his interest in public policy, and Oregon Law became the place from which to launch the next phase of his career. While at the law school, David honed his interest in public policy serving as the Executive Editor of the Oregon Review of International Law and as a Wayne Morse Fellow, a fellowship for law students with a demonstrated commitment to public policy.
As a 3L, David then applied for the competitive Presidential Management Fellow program, which places recent graduates in Executive Branch of the federal government. After serving in the U.S. Department of Commerce, he subsequently went to work for Congressman Blumenauer.
When asked about his work, David says that he loves the pace and real opportunities that exist to enact policies that make a difference. “When a piece of legislation passes that you have been working on, it is great feeling to know you have mastered both the substance and the politics of changing the law for the better,” said David.
The longevity of his position has also meant David has weathered the political cycles that make it more or less difficult to make policy changes. Despite the challenges of the political process, David values that his work places him in the epicenter of federal policy change, while at the same time allowing him to stay deeply connected to his home state of Oregon.
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