|  Hi,
my name is Patti Mohr. I
am an independent contractor specializing in public
policy. I have nine years experience working in media
relations – as a reporter and a public relations representative.
My
background: My insatiable curiosity and quest
for knowledge brought me to Washington, D.C. in 1998.
Like many Washingtonians, I started my career as an
intern. The Cato Institute was my training ground for
work in public policy and journalism. While Cato’s program
included typical intern duties such as photocopying
papers and preparing mailings, it also provided an education
in the economic philosophies of Milton Friedman, Friedrich
Hayek and Adam Smith.
The
internship soon turned into a job in Cato’s busy public
affairs department. The work was as rewarding as it
was exhaustive. My PR colleagues and I worked tirelessly
promoting the think tank’s many events, publications
and scholars. I became a jack-of-all-topics while liaising
between the scholars and the media. I also learned valuable
lessons about effective communication.
Journalism
career: In late 2000, I accepted an opportunity
to cover Congress for a national trade publication.
As I worked my way up from the position of a junior
tax reporter to the senior Capitol Hill reporter, I
covered the 2001, 2002 and 2003 tax cuts and witnessed
countless public policy debates. The job exposed me
to numerous events, and I appreciated each one. I had
a front-row seat to Congress’s fascinating investigation
into money laundering, bank secrecy and terrorist financing
following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
I
eventually moved on to write for other publications.
As an education reporter, I created a global competitiveness
beat, which tracked the growing concern by business
and government leaders that U.S. graduates are not equipped
to compete against their foreign peers. I also examined
the emerging role of education technology, the economic
impact of school programs, and congressional investments
in science. The rewards of covering an issue so relevant
to the global economy were immense.
New
direction: I am now pursuing a Masters degree
in international commerce at George Mason University.
As I work toward my educational goal, I am earning a
living as an editorial contractor. Recent assignments
include research and writing for the McLaughlin Group
and editing a book manuscript of a scholar at the Woodrow
Wilson International Center for Scholars.
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