Keeping Congress Moving: The Art of Scheduling and Service
Every week, Leadership Connect sits down with a different Capitol Hill staffer to learn about the person behind the policy work. These conversations explore how staffers built their careers, the policy areas they care about, and the lessons they’ve learned navigating one of the most unique work environments in the country. This week, we spoke to Geoffrey Hyder, Scheduler for the Office of Representative Jim Costa.
Can you outline your career journey and the key steps that led you to your current role as Scheduler?
My interest in politics began long before I crossed the stage at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, to receive my political science degree from Loyola University Maryland in 2022. However, after graduation I returned to my hometown in Texas and began working at the Van Cliburn Foundation, a classical music nonprofit, which was quite a departure.
Within two years, I had risen from front desk assistant to public relations coordinator. I worked with a wonderful, passionate staff, and I also learned many of the things that we pick up at our first office job: navigating professional hierarchies and expectations, how to prioritize changing deadlines, and, most importantly, how to get the printer to stop making *that* noise.
While working at The Cliburn, I stayed politically engaged. I knocked on doors for Democrats in 2024 and 2025 and served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. I also co-founded and led Cowtown Democrats, a Fort Worth political organization that hosted community meetings, mobilized volunteers, and connected candidates with voters.
These experiences reinforced my applications to graduate school, and in August 2025, I packed up for Washington, D.C. to begin my MPP program at Georgetown University.
Later, in my second semester and after many job applications, I began a legislative internship in the office of U.S. Representative Jim Costa. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and sought to get as much from it as possible. I was lucky enough to become the office’s D.C. scheduler by the end of my internship. Schedulers have a rare bird’s-eye view of the ins and outs of Congress in a way that few others have, which has been a perfect synthesis with my public policy master’s program.
Which policy areas or legislative issues are you most passionate about, and how do you stay informed and engaged in those topics?
I am most interested in infrastructure and public transportation policies. Being from Fort Worth, Texas, I know what it’s like to live in a city where owning a car is a costly necessity and in a state whose electrical grid strains to failure in both summer and winter. Both are avoidable policy failures. Fort Worth grew alongside the automobile, and the city is less connected, less accessible, and more expensive as a result.
Here in Washington, D.C., I ride the Metro several times a week and use bikeshares often. Many of my friends take the Metro and bus daily. I read local news from Texas and D.C., attend policy discussions at school and at work when possible, and keep up with accounts like @thetransitguy on Instagram. I have volunteered for several months on D.C. Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George’s mayoral campaign, whose platform had a robust public transit proposal grounded in local needs.
Can you share a challenging or rewarding project that played a significant role in your professional development? How did you overcome the challenge, and what key lessons did you take away from the experience?
I managed the creation of the official program book for the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. This called for over 250 pages of competition information, pianist biographies and repertoires, contributor recognition lists, a memorial dedication, a yearly recap of the Foundation’s events, and foreword letters from the U.S. president, Texas governor, and Fort Worth mayor.
Managing the program book consisted of a few things day-to-day: writing original material, requesting material from outside sources, and sending updates internally for needed submissions. Throughout the process, I worked closely with the rest of the communications team and our external graphic designer, who laid out the final product for the printer.
Creating the program book taught me how to manage my time across multiple shifting deadlines: the project coincided with pre-competition pianist auditions, donor-exclusive event promotions, the end of that year’s concert season, and the announcement of the next season.
As a Scheduler, you’re responsible for balancing competing priorities while ensuring your Member’s time is used effectively. How do you evaluate requests and manage a schedule that serves both the office’s goals and constituents’ needs?
Scheduling can be methodical, or it can be hectic. Many times, it is both. The real challenge is getting into the mind of the Member. What issues does he prioritize? How will he get from Point A to Point B throughout the day? When is the schedule likely to change? Being able to answer these questions is often a direct result of how familiar one is with the Member. Constituent service is also a top priority in my decision-making. So far, I have found scheduling to be as much about relationships and logic as it is about the calendar itself.
Schedulers interact with a wide range of stakeholders, from constituents and advocacy groups to congressional staff and leadership offices. What skills have been most important in building relationships and coordinating successful engagements?
I recommend being proactive and responsive, asking questions, and remembering the smaller details about people. Respond to emails and messages as they come in, even if only to say that you’re working on it. Pick up the phone when it rings. When calling someone for work, ask how they are doing before you make your request. If you’re in a longer conversation, make small talk (don’t forget to gauge if they’re not interested!). These little things can go a long way to build connections throughout a long workday, and you’ll find that those new friends can help you out if you’re in a pinch later, and you can do the same. I once heard that the Hill doesn’t suffer jerks. In my short time here, I’m inclined to agree.
Word association, what is the first word that comes to mind for each of these?
Policy: Purpose
Networking: Necessary
Writing Skills: Useful
Working on the Hill: Interactive
Leadership Connect: Informative
