Paula Nowakowski

Former Chief of staff to House Minority Leader (2006 to January 2010)

(Chip Somedevilla, Getty Images)

Why She Mattered

After serving for four years as chief of staff to House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), the 46-year-old Nowakowski was found dead in her Alexandria, Va. home, on Jan. 10, 2010. The cause was apparently a heart attack, according to a Boehner spokesperson.

After Democrats regained the congressional majority in 2006, Nowakowski tried to help Republicans stay relevant in the tough political climate. "I hate being in the minority," Nowakowski told Politico. "I absolutely hate it."

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Communications Director, House Committee on Education & the Workforce, (1995 to 2001); Staff Director, House Committee on Education & the Workforce, (2001 to 2006); Vice President for Public Affairs, American Insurance Association, (1999 to 2000)
Hometown: St. Clair Shores, Mich
Alma Mater: Cornell University, BA, 1985

DC Office: H 204, The Capitol, WDS 20515; 202-225-4000
Web site

Path To Power

Nowakowski grew up in St. Clair Shores, Mich., the youngest in a family of three. She lost her father as a young girl, she told Politico, and her mother wanted her to grow up to be a "lawyer or something respectable."

Instead, she attended Cornell University, where she majored in English. She said the "rise of the loony left" on campus made her more conservative. "No CIA recruitment on campus, demands for a nuclear freeze. Wacky, wacky stuff. As much as anything, that shaped my politics."

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The Issues

As the top staffer to Boehner, Nowakowski does a little of everything. She helps Boehner craft the Republican message and develop legislative priorities. She also works with Democrats to come up with compromises on key legislation. She is responsible for supervising committee budgets, overseeing a staff of about 35 and scheduling meetings for her boss.

The Network

Nowakowski is surprisingly close with John A. Lawrence, the chief of staff for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). They met in 2001, when both were working as staff directors for the then-House Education and Workforce Committee. "I think our relationship personifies the old adage about being able to disagree without being disagreeable," Lawrence told Politico.

She works with Boehner and Boehner spokesman Michael Steel and former press aide Kevin Madden.

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