Alumni Profile - Betsy Wright Hawkings ’86

Betsy Wright Hawkings

Betsy Wright Hawkings graduated from Williams in 1986 with a double major in American Studies and Art History. After working on Wall Street for one year, she moved to Washington and worked as a fundraiser until obtaining a job with her hometown Congressman, Christopher Shays, in 1988.

Betsy began as the Legislative Assistant for financial issues, and served as both Legislative Director and Press Secretary. Betsy has served as Chief of Staff for Congressman Christopher Shays for eleven of the last eighteen years. During that time, Betsy worked “part-time” for several years when her children were very small.

Highlights include passage of legislation to force Congress to live by the civil rights and labor laws it writes for the rest of the country; the landmark campaign finance reform legislation Congressman Shays wrote with Senator McCain, Senator Feingold and Congressman Marty Meehan of Massachusetts; and working closely with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and the families of September 11 victims who live in Congressman Shay’s district to enact September 11 Commission recommendations over the objections of the White House.

Betsy lives in Washington with her husband, who is managing editor of Congressional Quarterly Magazine, and their two sons, aged 13 and 7.