Leah Hill Named Notable Staffer in The Hill’s 2026 Series

Leah Hill began her professional life teaching first- and second-grade students in Chicago through Teach For America. After relocating to North Carolina, she intended to work as a substitute teacher but instead volunteered for President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, later becoming an organizer who engaged voters outside convenience stores on issues such as food insecurity, housing, transportation and education. Through the Teach For America Capitol Hill Fellows program she entered congressional work as an education policy fellow for then-Representative Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio). Hill subsequently moved between the Senate and House, rising through policy-staff positions before being appointed legislative director for Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in 2021, where she has served as the “coach” of his policy team.

Booker Legislative Director Leah Hill Named a Notable Staffer The Hill

As legislative director, Hill oversees the development and coordination of the senator’s policy agenda. She emphasizes the collaborative nature of congressional work, noting that legislative outcomes often result from many incremental actions—speeches, letters, interview remarks—rather than single, high-profile bills. An independent 2021 statement from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies highlighted her appointment as a notable example of diversity within the Senate staff corps.

Booker Legislative Director Leah Hill Named a Notable Staffer

• “I had to talk to anyone and everyone about anything, right?” — Leah Hill, legislative director for Sen

The Hill

• “Often you hear from folks and they’re like, Congress isn’t doing, and it’s like there’s a lot of things that people are doing, even if bills aren’t being passed the way that you would like them to be,” — Leah Hill, legislative director for Sen

The Hill

• “I had to talk to anyone and everyone about anything,” — Leah Hill, legislative director for Sen

Booker Legislative Director Leah Hill Named a Notable Staffer

The Hill’s 2026 Notable Staffers series, authored by Helen Huiskes, profiled Hill to illustrate how experience in frontline education and grassroots organizing can translate into senior congressional staff roles. The profile connects her classroom background and campaign organizing to her current responsibilities, underscoring the broader pathway for educators and community organizers to influence federal policy. While Hill acknowledges the challenges of passing legislation, she stresses that sustained effort across the legislative ecosystem remains essential to advancing policy goals.

Booker Legislative Director Leah Hill Named a Notable Staffer