JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Politicians have to stay on message, the adage goes. And as technology flourishes, the means by which politicians stay on message is always changing. It’s that element of our public discourse — the crafting and conveying of a message or idea — that interests Caitlin Kerber the most.
Kerber, 21, is the legislative assistant to newly elected Speaker Pro Tem Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg. A senior from the University of Missouri Columbia, Kerber is a political communications major with her eye on big ideas.
“I think it’s important to understand what is the best message we can put out there, and what is the best way for someone to tell people in this state what they support and why,” Kerber said. “There are lots of ways to get your message out there, but they are all different and they all have advantages and disadvantages.”
Kerber was an intern in Hoskins’ office last year. When Hoskins’ former LA took a new position, Kerber jumped at the chance to move up the ladder. A lifelong student of politics, Kerber always saw herself doing this kind of work.
“I’ve always been fascinated by politics,” Kerber said. “I love to do research and messaging. If you give me an issue and a few hours to do some research, I can get really passionate pretty quickly.”
Kerber moved into the new position as Hoskins was seeking a new one for himself. He was successfully elected Speaker Pro Tem during the summer Republican caucus, filling the leadership role vacated when Congressman Jason Smith won during a special election last summer.
Kerber isn’t much for partying, despite living in Columbia. She spends her nights reading. Sometimes, she enjoys a good run, working to get a few miles in every day when work isn’t “insane.” She watches television.
She watches a lot of television .
“My queue in Hulu is 10 pages long probably, I can’t even narrow down to one favorite show,” Kerber said. “That’s what I spend a lot of free time on.”
When she has free time. During the last session she was an intern and in school full-time, something she’s looking forward to avoiding when she finishes with her degree during December, weeks before session begins.
Kerber is always looking for new opportunities, though she says she’d be fine working for Hoskins for a while, partly because of her ability to communicate with the leadership and partly because she feels welcome.
“It’s good exposure for me to meet some staffers in leadership and make those connections,” Kerber said. “But [Hoskins] is very inclusive, which I know not every LA gets to be a pat of policy discussions or strategy, but he’s really good about wanting to hear everyone and letting me speak up.”
In her role as a political communicator, Kerber will be building and running social media pages for the office of Speaker Pro Tem for when session starts. She’s even helping lead a presentation for staff and legislators about the best ways to use social media.
“Social media is so important in today’s world,” Kerber said. “You look at what President Obama was able to do with it, and how campaigns are relying more and more on it, and there is a distinct advantage to that.”
Kerber said usage of social media varies wildly in the building, with some officials fluent in most of the important sites and others wary of the new technology. She’s hoping to see some converts in her presentation.
“I just want people to know what the advantages of it are and to understand that it can make them better at what they do,” Kerber said.
Young, working in leadership and already adopting a proactive role among the staff, Kerber is looking ahead. She’s certainly considering becoming a candidate for office one day herself, but she’s also becoming more fascinated by campaigns and hoping to find a role in political consulting.
“I used to be obsessed with planning my whole life out but now I’m not as much,” Kerber said. “Now I’m more about seeing what presents itself. I’m in a good position, so I figure just keep working at it and things will happen naturally.”
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
