Hilary Beckett '13

Major: Political Science
Current Occupation/Job title: Cabinet Liaison
Company: Office of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy

What are your job responsibilities?

As a Cabinet Liaison, I work in an office where we report directly to the Cabinet Secretary and we coordinate with the different departments. We are the main point of contact. I have eleven departments that I work with to make sure that they are implementing the Governor’s policy initiatives and goals.

What do you like about the work you are doing now?

I enjoy that every day is something different. In working with a number of different departments, I am able to work on multiple issue areas. Before joining the Governor's office, I served as the Chief of Staff to then Assemblyman, now Senator Troy Singleton.

What do you consider the most essential skills for this career?

Organization, with so many different issues that touch the different departments it is important to be able to carefully track each one and not let anything slip through the cracks.

How do you think your major/academic experience prepared you for your career?

Being a political science major exposed me to multiple perspective on how government works. This has been crucial to my success in the field.  

Describe any internships you held that were helpful in your job search.

I interned in the 5th legislative district office, which was my introduction to state government and sparked my love of it.

What advice would you give students interested in your field?

I would tell them to get involved with a lot of different things and then really dive into the one that interest them most. The one they are most passionate about. You don’t know what is out there until you try everything. So, try a little bit of everything.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

I enjoy running and am an avid reader. I enjoy cross stitch because it’s easy, creative and fun. I also love taking my dog to the park and for long walks.

Fun fact about you?

I am currently reading a biography on each of the Presidents. I started with Washington and moving slowly through them all. I'm only on Millard Fillmore. Another fun fact is my ultimate goal is to visit all 50 State Houses in the U.S. I’ve been to California, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia. So I have four off the list. So whenever I visit a state, I try to take a drive and see the state house because they are all pretty and unique. I’m always fascinated by them.