Beyond the Bureaucracy: Meet Kevin
Meet Kevin
I believe in the promise of the American experiment: that only a liberal democracy can progress society towards greater individual rights, rule of law, and economic mobility.
And I wanted to be a part of sustaining that experiment. I first did so as a public school teacher in Chicago. Then the Marine Corps brought me to Afghanistan, Africa, Europe, the Pacific, and the Pentagon.
I studied at Oxford and Georgetown and interned on Capitol Hill. But instead of getting business or law degrees, I studied public service. That public service finally brought me to the U.S. Treasury in Washington, D.C. where I continued to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR TIME IN GOVERNMENT. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART?
There is no feeling quite like that of representing the United States of America. I worked with foreign partners across the globe, and I could feel that I carried 250 years of American progress, hope, and strength in my person. It was an absolute privilege to personally represent the United States before foreign partners, allies, and friends. My foreign friends now look at me with pity and look at this administration with scornful disdain. But I remain a proud American. Because I know the ideals of the American experiment will only die when we let them die in our hearts. And every other federal employee and service member I know still believes in that experiment.
WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
I am most proud of helping Afghans escape from the Taliban. On the day I walked into the U.S. Capitol for the first time, the Taliban walked into Kabul. Constituents began calling asking for help in getting their interpreters out. I soon found myself apart of what is now called Digital Dunkirk.
Scores of veterans began working together to source non-governmental evacuations from Afghanistan. I helped tens of people get on evacuation lists. But my proudest moment was getting my two interpreters out of Afghanistan. It took two years, but many other people and I refused to give up on them. They now live not too far from where I live in Washington, DC.
IF YOU’RE COMFORTABLE, SHARE A LITTLE ABOUT HOW YOU WERE SEPARATED FROM YOUR POSITION?
This is hard for me to talk about. Once Trump won re-election, I began thinking about leaving the federal service. When Musk launched his assault on the civil service, I began feeling pressured and uncertain about the future. So, I decided to take the “buy out” not knowing if it was even real or not. Even though I was careful not to bring my political views into the office, I am outspokenly liberal outside of work. And I feared that, at best, I would be the subject of a reduction-in-force, and, at worst, that I would be targeted for termination because of my personal opinions and social media activity outside of work. So, I decided, with my partner, to take a chance on the buyout, and use that time to move to Chicago, find my next job, and start a new life together.
I have friends who did not take the offer and lost their jobs. I have friends who work day-to-day without knowing if they will have jobs next week.
What are your ideal next steps??
I have been applying for teaching jobs with Chicago Public Schools. I find teaching to be the most meaningful endeavor I have ever pursued. But my ideal next step: to run for office myself—at least once, before returning to teaching. I dream of what American democracy could be like when it focuses on voters, not donors; when it centers on ideas, not dollars. I dream of the democracy that I taught to my students—a society controlled by its people not its corporations. If I can lead a campaign like that—one that rejects the well-proven money-chase model—at the very least, I will be able to look my future students in their eyes and say that I tried—I tried to exemplify what the textbook teaches.
How we can support:
A note from the Arielle Lewis Studios Team:
It was a special surprise that Kevin’s partner is a prior client of ours, so of course we took a selfie while he was here to share with her 🙂
Comments Off on Beyond the Bureaucracy: Meet Kevin