Road Gang Luncheon with Appropriations THUD Subcommittee Staff

The Road Gang is very pleased to announce our May Luncheon, featuring staff from the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD). Dabney Hegg, Cameron O’Brien, Christina Monroe, and Avery Pierson represent all four corners of the House and Senate THUD Subcommittees and will participate in a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities inherent in the Appropriations process. From the recently completed FY 2024 bill, to the process for funding disasters and tragedies such as Baltimore’s Key Bridge, to the upcoming FY 2025 process, there will be plenty to discuss and learn from the perspectives of these experienced and knowledgeable Appropriators.

Cameron O’Brien is a Professional Staff Member for the minority on the Senate THUD Appropriations Subcommittee, handling the FHWA, NHTSA, MARAD, and FRA accounts among others. Prior to joining the subcommittee in June 2022, he spent nearly five years as a Legislative Assistant for Senator Susan Collins, where he had worked as a Legislative Correspondent from 2013-2016. In between his stints with Senator Collins, Cameron was a Legislative Assistant for Steptoe & Johnson’s Government Affairs and Public Policy Team. He is a 2012 graduate of the University of Maine Honors College.

Avery Pierson is a Professional Staff Member for the House Appropriations THUD Subcommittee and serves as the lead on DOT matters. In this role, Avery handles funding recommendations, bill and report production, hearings, briefings, oversight, budget analysis, and technical assistance pertaining to appropriations for the Office of the Secretary of Transportation, FRA, FTA, U.S. Access Board, Amtrak OIG, NTSB, and the STB. Avery joined the Committee in January 2023 after serving as a legislative assistant for retired Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) for nearly 5 years. Avery advised the Senator on transportation, housing, telecommunications, and commerce issues. In total, she successfully introduced 22 bipartisan bills, 14 of which were signed into law. Of most significance, Avery served as the Senator’s lead staffer in his role as co-author of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This work included developing the initial “Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework”; negotiating the final agreement with the White House; writing the broadband division; negotiating the highway-transit contract authority split; and working with the Appropriations Committee to develop the appropriations division. Avery is a graduate of The Ohio State University and is a Columbus, Ohio native.

Christina Monroe has been the Democratic Clerk of the House THUD Subcommittee for three years. Prior to that, she served as Professional staff of the Senate THUD Subcommittee for nearly 6 years. She was a Presidential Management fellow at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and then served as Appropriations Liaison at HUD prior to her service in Congress. She received her Masters of Social Work, Management of Human Services and Social Policy and Evaluation from the University of Michigan, and her Bachelor’s from San Francisco State University.

Dabney Hegg has 28 years of Senate experience and currently serves as Clerk of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies that directs over $200 billion in annual budgetary resources. She is responsible for analyzing the annual budget and working on a bipartisan and bicameral basis to determine programmatic funding levels, oversight, and policy goals under the subcommittee’s jurisdiction. In addition to managing the subcommittee and coordinating housing and transportation legislation across the Senate, she has direct experience as a budget analyst for every mode across the Department of Transportation and specializes in homeless assistance, affordable housing, and Native American programs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She has also worked extensively in disaster recovery and transportation crisis incident response and recovery. Prior to joining the Appropriations Committee, Dabney worked as Senior Professional Staff for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine, with a focus in homeland security and maritime policy for six years. Prior to her work on the Commerce Committee, she served in a variety of positions for Senator Ernest F. Hollings between 1998 and 2004. Dabney earned a Master of Public Administration degree from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia (2007) and bachelor’s degrees in political science and history from the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina (1998).

Time: Mixing period at 12:00 PM; Lunch at 12:15 pm; Speaker at 12:30 pm

Location: The Piedmont Room (2nd floor, in the back), Clyde’s of Gallery Place, 707 7th St. NW, Washington, DC 20001

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Clyde's, 707 7th Street Northwest, Washington, United States