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CHIP Success Stories


The Hobby School of Public Affairs' Civic Houston Internship Program (CHIP) offers government internships to University of Houston students each fall and spring semester. Since its inception, the program has placed over 1500 interns in local government offices, non-profit organizations, campaigns, and in the private sector.

Are you a former CHIP intern and would like to be listed on this page?  Do you want to have your current information on this page updated?  Contact Jessica Ruland O'Connor at jruland@central.uh.edu.  

Here are just a few of the many success stories:

Rosy Mota, COVID-19 Response Director, Latino Commission on AIDS
Spring 2011: Council Member James Rodriguez, District I

Christian Aguirre: Social Media Coordinator, University of Texas at Austin
Fall 2020: Mayor's Office of Complete Communities

Melissa Arredondo: Press Secretary, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo
Fall 2007: Commissioner Sylvia Garcia
Spring 2008: Council Member Melissa Noriega

Roel Benavides, Jr.: Committee Director, House Committee on Homeland Security & Public Safety
Fall 2014: Congressman Pete Olson

Leonardo Mendoza Bernuy: Staff Assistant/Legislative Correspondent, U.S. House of Representatives, Office of Representative Ritchie Torres (NY-15)
Spring 2021: Office of the City Controller

Stephen Bjune: Training Manager, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service
Spring 2007: Mayor Bill White, Office for Volunteer Initiatives

Christopher Busby: Teacher, Sam Houston Math Science Technology Center
Fall 2009: Council Member Mike Sullivan

Traci Buttram: Deputy Chief of Staff, Harris County Office of County Administration
Fall 2010: State Representative Ellen Cohen
Spring 2011: State Representative Jessica Farrar

Carolina Cano: Government Relations Manager, Houston Food Bank
Fall 2018: State Representative Mary Ann Perez
Spring 2019: State Representative Mary Ann Perez

Candace Caruthers: Assistant Federal Public Defender, Districts of Colorado and Wyoming
Fall 2014: Council Member Larry Green

Delaney Catlettstout: Assistant Public Defender, Missouri State Public Defender
Fall 2015: State Senator John Whitmire

Yesenia Chavez: Manager, Purple Strategies
Spring 2013: Council Member James Rodriguez

Patrick Coleman: Industry Advisor, Adaptive Construction Solutions
Spring 2017: State Representative Dan Huberty

Matthew Conner: Director, Government Relations, Houston Independent School District
Fall 2012: Congressman John Culberson

Mary Davis: Deputy District Director, Congressman Troy Nehls
Fall 2015: Council Member Michael Kubosh

Carlos Doroteo: Attorney, Berg & Androphy
Spring 2004: State Representative Rick Noriega

Natasha Egharevba: Senior Trial Attorney, Allstate
Fall 2008: State Senator Rodney Ellis

Fatimah El-Ibrahim: Constituent Services Representative, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher
Spring 2019: Mayor's Office of Education
Fall 2019: Harris County Clerk, Department of Voter Outreach and Communications

Russell Etherton: Senior Community Relations & Program Communications Manager, BakerRipley
Fall 2009: Annise Parker for Mayor Campaign

Santiago Franco: Community Outreach Specialist, Texas General Land Office 
Spring 2017: Council Member Ellen Cohen

Jon Garcia: Strategic Initiatives and Program Manager, Harris County Community Services Dept.
Fall 2015: State Representative Jessica Farrar

Olivia Garcia: Community Liaison, Texas House of Representatives, Rep. Penny Morales Shaw
Spring 2021: State Representative Penny Morales Shaw

Cassie Gianni: Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
Spring 2011: Controller Ron Green
Fall 2011: Controller Ron Green
Spring 2015: Mayor’s Office of International Trade and Development

Nick Heisig: MBA Candidate, University of Michigan
Fall 2013: State Senator Rodney Ellis

Mirel Herrera: Senior Associate, Policy & Advocacy at Data Quality Campaign
Spring 2008: Rick Noriega for U.S. Senate Campaign

Carla Hulsey: Analyst, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Fall 2010: Commissioner Sylvia Garcia
Spring 2011: Council Member Ed Gonzalez

Mahnoor Imran: J.D. Candidate, South Texas College of Law
Fall 2020: Outreach Strategists

Virginia Ivanez: Attorney, Law Office of Virginia Ivanez
Fall 2011: Barrio Dogs of Houston
Spring 2012: NALEO Educational Fund
Fall 2012: Council Member Ed Gonzalez

Estefani Jimenez: Environmental Case Manager, Kleinfelder
Fall 2012: State Senator Mario Gallegos

Emily Joslin: Budget Analyst, Legislative Budget Board
Fall 2016: Representative Jessica Farrar

Ahmed Keshta: Vocational Training Coordinator, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Spring 2021: Council Member Dave Martin

Matthew Lair: Research Assistant, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Fall 2020: Axiom Strategies

Valerie Luna-Pena: Community Outreach Coordinator, Houston Public Works
Spring 2013: Council Member Ellen Cohen

Josh Malone: Lead Counsel, Meta
Spring 2010: Environment Texas

Maria Mendoza: Community Liaison, Harris County OHSEM
Spring 2021: City of Houston Public Works

Cody Miller: Account Supervisor, KGBTexas Communications
Fall 2014: Council Member Ed Gonzalez

Ana Montanez: Manager, Government Relations, Independent Sector
Fall 2015: Council Member Ed Gonzalez

Alexa Moores: Assistant County Attorney, Harris County Attorney's Office
Fall 2017: Senator Ted Cruz
Spring 2018: Senator Ted Cruz

Idalid Navarro: Administrative Assistant, Vinson & Elkins
Fall 2017: Council Member Amanda Edwards
Spring 2018: Council Member Amanda Edwards
Fall 2018: Council Member Amanda Edwards

Alexander Obregon: Vice President & CFO, Comcast Texas
Fall 2008: Council Member Ron Green

Emma Oliver: Associate, Norton Rose Fulbright
Spring 2014: State Representative Carol Alvarado

Dylan Osborne: Administrator of Financial Services, Harris County Clerk's Office
Spring 2011: Council Member Sue Lovell

Julia Ossemi-Seied: Deputy Chief of Staff & Communications, Council Member Sallie Alcorn
Fall 2016: Council Member Jerry Davis
Spring 2017: Council Member Jerry Davis

Bryan Pelaez: Consultant, Hagerty Consulting
Fall 2015: Congressman John Culberson

Melissa Peña: Math Interventionist, Crowley Independent School District
Fall 2011: Lone Star Strategies, LLC

Shawn Portales: Senior Consultant, Ryan
Fall 2010: Council Member Ed Gonzalez
Spring 2011: Congressman Gene Green

Paige Powell: Policy Manager, Commission Shift
Fall 2006: Council Member Peter Brown

Robert Quarles: Advocacy Manager - Southeast Texas, Alzheimer's Association
Fall 2000: Council Member Mark Ellis
Fall 2001: Chris Bell for Mayor Campaign

Jessica Ruland: Program Director, Government Internships, Hobby School of Public Affairs
Fall 2017: Council Member Michael Kubosh

Emina Sadic: Associate, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
Fall 2010: Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations

Edith Santamaria: Economic Development Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce
Fall 2015: Council Member Robert Gallegos

Paula Santamaria: MBA Candidate, MIT Sloan
Spring 2013: Council Member Ed Gonzalez
Fall 2013: Council Member Ed Gonzalez

Jennifer Edwards Santos: Legislative Director, Texas House of Representatives
Fall 2016: Ed Gonzalez for Sheriff Campaign

Eric Schroeder: Analyst, Data Analysis & Reporting, Texas Legislative Budget Board
Fall 2014: State Representative Garnet Coleman

John Seydler: Assistant City Controller, City Controller Chris Brown
Spring 2016: City Controller Chris Brown

Eiman Siddiqui: Director - State and Local Government Affairs, American Express
Fall 2014: State Representative Jim Murphy

Sumaya Siddiqui: Digital Coordinator, Texas Civil Rights Project
Fall 2020: Black Sheep Agency

Hillary Sotello: Senior CDR Housing Project Manager, GrantWorks, Inc.
Spring 2009: Houstonians for Responsible Growth

William Souraphath: Senior EHR Systems, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Spring 2014: Commissioner El Franco Lee

Katherine Summerlin: Senior Staff Analyst, City of Houston Public Works
Fall 2005: Council Member Ronald Green

Anthony Torres: Associate, Berkley Research Group LLC
Fall 2017: Council Member Amanda Edwards

Carrington Townsend: Patient Services Coordinator, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Spring 2021: Houston Crackdown

Binsu Wang: Director of Underwriting, Transpacific Financial Inc.
Spring 2012: Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart, Election Division

Kelly Waterman: District Director, Congressman Brian Babin
Fall 2007: U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Fall 2009: Texans for Kay Bailey Hutchison Campaign

Janae Winfield: Global Social Performance and Risk Advisor, Chevron
Spring 2010: State Representative Ellen Cohen

Madelyn Wilson: Associate Project Manager, Publicist Sapient
Fall 2015: Outreach Strategists

Are you a former CHIP intern and would like to be listed on this page?  Do you want to have your current information on this page updated?  Contact Jessica Ruland O'Connor at jruland@central.uh.edu.