Shuwanza Goff and Craig Volden (from left to right).
CEL EVENT: A View from the Executive and Legislative Branches
Monday, February 16, 2026
On Monday, February 9, the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) held a presentation entitled “A View from the Executive and Legislative Branches” as part of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy’s Batten Hour series. The panel discussion featured Shuwanza Goff, a veteran congressional staffer and former director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs under President Joe Biden who now serves on the CEL advisory board. She touched on her experience dealing with the legislature through multiple career vantage points, including as the floor director for legislative operations for Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. The event was moderated by Craig Volden, professor of public policy and politics at Batten and CEL co-director.
After being introduced by Batten Professor Melanie Egorin, Goff explained her career arc, initially reminiscing on her time as a teenage girl in Richmond with a budding interest in politics. After studying political science at the University of Tennessee, she pursued graduate studies at American University. In 2008, she secured a job with Leader Hoyer ahead of that year’s elections. Capitalizing on Democratic momentum coming out of that wave election, she was eventually promoted to deputy director of legislative operations in 2012. After roughly seven years in this role, she was then promoted to floor director for legislative operations for Hoyer.
Shuwanza Goff
As floor director, she attributed her success to an understanding of the heavily communicative nature of the fluid floor process and the different rules for various committees. She also spoke about the importance of coalition building, recalling that divides within the Democratic caucus were sometimes as difficult to bridge as divides between parties. In addition, she stressed the importance of understanding the electoral profiles of different members and how to navigate tough votes for them. Reflecting on moments of professional triumph, she touted the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank as a moment of pride. In terms of challenges, she remembered the pandemic and both of Donald Trump’s first-term impeachments as especially stressful moments in her time as floor director.
Following her time on Capitol Hill, she was named deputy director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs during the 2020 presidential transition and eventually became director of the office. Reflecting on her efforts to pass Biden’s domestic agenda with slim Democratic margins, Goff attributed a great deal of the friction to the coalition management necessary within her own caucus. While she conceded that the work of legislating became more difficult under the divided government that followed the 2022 midterms, she also advised that the legislative process is one in which flexibility is key. Goff also advised Batten students to keep the faith in policy analysis, cautioning that a lot of rigorous policy work is still happening under the surface of Washington’s partisan dysfunction. After the initial round of questions, the event opened up to a Q+A session where Batten students, faculty, and staff asked her questions about dealing with nonpartisan staff, using different communication methods to promote a legislative agenda, and specific challenges faced by the Biden administration.
Batten School Dean Ian Solomon, Shuwanza Goff, and Craig Volden (from left to right).
The CEL is incredibly thankful to Ms. Goff for her time and insightful comments, and to all those who made this event possible.
To listen to the audio of the full discussion, go here.
(All photos by John Robinson, Batten School).
