Summer Intern in Washington, District of Columbia at The Aspen Institute

ABOUT US

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners.

CONGRESSIONAL PROGRAM

The Aspen Institute Congressional Program is a nonpartisan neutral convener of world-renowned scholars and leaders and Republican and Democratic Members of Congress to focus on the pressing foreign policy issues of our time. Through our educational programs, bipartisan, bicameral groups of Members of Congress work with policy experts to discuss, civilly debate, and develop policy solutions in private, off-the-record sessions conducted in the United States Capitol and all over the world.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The Congressional Program Intern is part of a small, but mighty, team working together to provide programming highly valued by Members of Congress and congressional staff members who attend our events. The Intern will assist with crafting briefings for our international conferences and other policy writing as needed, will collaborate closely with other team members to develop our domestic and international events for Members of Congress and congressional staff, and complete other tasks as needed. The Intern will have the opportunity to attend our regular breakfast series with Members of Congress and staff lunch series with senior congressional staff.

The Congressional intern will report to the Senior manager. This internship is expected to work 20 hours per week until the end of July, 2026. The expectation is for this role to be in our Washington D.C. office a minimum of 2x a week to collaborate with colleagues.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Support the Program Assistant with crafting briefing books for our international conferences to be read by Members of Congress and world-renowned policy experts.
• Attend the Program’s congressional breakfast series and congressional staff lunch series.
• Track legislation or other actions proposed by Members of Congress who attend our conferences and breakfasts. Regularly update Congressional Program team on legislation that is tracked.
• Support Associate Director of Congressional Engagement and Finance and Grants Associate with tracking attendee data from our programs.
• Assist Senior Conference Manager and whole team with logistics and operations for our international member and staff conferences as needed.
• Track post-conference surveys and outcomes for Members of Congress.
• Assist with the Program’s outreach plans, including promotional events, to Members of Congress and congressional staff to promote our member breakfasts, senior staff lunches, and conferences.
• Conduct policy writing as needed.
• Complete other tasks as assigned.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

The Aspen Institute Congressional Program Intern will develop invaluable skills in verbal communication and writing, particularly with and for a bipartisan audience of members of Congress. The Intern will also learn congressional research skills (legislation tracking, creating targeted invite lists dependent on policy interest, and more), events planning and execution skills, and teamwork within an integrated program. The Intern will also be given the opportunity to apply skills gained in the classroom by writing policy memos for our team and outside audiences and will learn more about our organization’s programs, operating procedures, and concepts. The Intern will be given the unique opportunity to network and connect with Members of Congress, their congressional staff, and world-renowned policy experts. The Intern will also have the opportunity to connect with seasoned professionals who will support them as they explore career options within organizations like the Aspen Institute.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• Must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program at an accredited college or university. Focus on public policy and/or international relations is a plus.
• This position requires some knowledge of the U.S. Congress and ability to engage with people of all political perspectives.
• Great team player who can also work independently.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and familiarity with or easily trained in Salesforce. SurveyMonkey, iContact, Canva, and Cvent experience is not required, but a plus.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Aspen Institute offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits, retirement benefits, and paid leave.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

The Aspen Institute welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs, including the interview process. If you would like to request accommodations or hav questions about accessibility, please email hrsupport@aspeninstitute.org or call 202-736-2127 in advance of your visit. Requests for ASL or CART services should be made at least two weeks in advance when possible. We will make every effort to fulfill requests, subject to availability.