University of Mary Washington - Index

University of Mary Washington - summer08 - Index

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Wash, the program was so demanding. … I feel [it] has
given me a unique perspective about how to approach
politics and government.”
Graeme Joeck ’05, sociology major, former regional field
director for the Hillary Clinton campaign
Graeme Joeck ’05 says the courses he took as a sociology major
at UMW helped prepare him for the pressures of a career in
politics. After landing a job as a field director with New York Sen.
Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, he was promoted to
regional field director for the Pennsylvania Democratic primary.
He said he’d always been impressed with Hillary Clinton as
a candidate. But he was also moved by her humanity during
that situation, when she attended to his parents and later,
when she met with him.
“As an individual, she’s extraordinarily caring and sensitive
and so capable,” he said. “We all realized we needed to get
back to what gets us up in the morning, and it’s fighting on
this campaign and this movement.”
The Clinton campaign wasn’t Joeck’s first, but it certainly
was his biggest. While a student at UMW, he worked on
Chuck Feldbush’s unsuccessful race against Mark Cole for
state delegate as well as Tim Kaine’s victorious effort to
become Virginia governor.
The University’s proximity to Washington gave Joeck a
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front-row seat in the political arena,
which was part of the reason – along
with the school’s cross-country
team – that the California athlete
chose to attend Mary Washington.
Joeck, who graduated from UMW
with a bachelor’s degree in sociology,
plans to earn a master’s degree in
political science.
“I’m still so thankful I have a
sociology background,” he said.
“At Mary Wash, the program was
so demanding. The educational
framework and the mindset I
got, I feel has given me a unique
perspective about how to approach
politics and government.”
After graduating, Joeck
managed the VA Runner store in
Fredericksburg’s Central Park before
moving to Thailand to work for
a nonprofit group that organized
exchange programs for volunteers.
A long-time Clinton fan, he sent his
résumé to her campaign staff and
urged them to give him a job.
“I was really persistent and got
lucky, and an offer came my way,”
he said. He started off as a field
organizer, reaching out to voters in
New Hampshire, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas before
being promoted to regional field director for the Pennsylvania
Democratic primary, which Clinton won.
Joeck describes his time on the campaign trail as
“extraordinarily positive.”
“I think it’s surpassed my expectations,” he said. “It’s the
most exciting type of work. It feels so purposeful. I care so
much about the state of this country. I feel like this is my
opportunity to be working toward getting this country on
the right track.”
McCain: Political Director
Becomes ‘A Bit of History’
Davis Rennolds’ father was an administrator at the College of
William & Mary, and when Davis tagged along on lobbying
trips to Richmond, he was often known as “Richard’s son”
in the halls of the Virginia General Assembly building.
These days, Rennolds, 26 and a 2005 Mary Washington