Meet our lobbyist, Rachel Sosnowchik, who is new to Goff but already making an impact for our clients. Through her subject matter expertise, political acumen and unwavering curiosity, she champions our clients’ visions, turning them into legislative actions. Read on to find out how she’s spending her time at the Capitol and which movie she can’t stop thinking about.
What led you to a career in lobbying?
My first “real” job out of college was working as a community organizer, which was a crash course in understanding policy and its impact on people’s lives. That led me to grad school to get a Master of Public Policy (MPP) and a move to Minnesota, and I was lucky to land a public affairs internship at a food bank in the Twin Cities. There, I quickly took an interest in advocacy and lobbying work, understanding that government programs and funding were essential to ending hunger in our communities. After receiving a full-time job offer upon graduating with my MPP, I spent the next four years as an in-house lobbyist and public affairs specialist, and then I joined the Goff Team!
What qualities or traits do you think are essential for someone considering a career in lobbying?
Two of the traits that have served me well in this career are flexibility and curiosity. It’s essential to be able to adapt throughout the legislative session. Even the best-laid plans often don’t play out as expected, so you need to be ready to pivot. Curiosity and a love of learning are also important because we’re tracking policies for different clients across a dozen different issue areas. The early days of session almost feel like being back in school— you’re sitting in hearings, learning about new bills, taking notes and trying to absorb as much information as possible.
Can you describe a typical day in the life of lobbyist?
While there’s no “typical” day, a lot of my time is spent across a few common activities:
- Monitoring committee hearings at the Legislature, where we take notes to report on bills or presentations that are relevant to our clients.
- Meeting with lawmakers alongside, or on behalf of, our clients to discuss a specific bill or issue, or share high-level priorities for the session. Scheduling these meetings also takes up a fair amount of time!
- Participating in coalition meetings, client check-in calls, stakeholder conversations, etc.
- Strategizing with clients, helping them develop effective messages, and creating one pagers or presentation materials.
What movie, TV show, book or podcast would you recommend?
Even though it’s been many months since I saw/read them, I can’t stop thinking about the movie adaptation of “Killers of the Flower Moon” or the book “The School for Good Mothers” by Jessamine Chan. I also love the podcast “You’re Wrong About,” specifically the episodes featuring Blair Braverman who generally focuses on stories of outdoor survival.
What was the first job you ever had?
My sophomore year of high school I refereed YMCA youth volleyball games, usually for kids in 1st and 2nd grade. Because these kids were only 6 or 7 years old, there wasn’t a lot of actual volleyball playing going on, but it was a lot of fun and paid pretty well at the time!
How are you spending a perfect free day?
I’d wake up and get a workout in right away, followed by a big breakfast and maybe a stop at a coffee shop for an almond croissant and iced latte. My partner and I just bought a house and I love vintage stores, so I’d probably hit up a few Twin Cities stores to look for furniture and other fun things to decorate our new house. If it’s truly a perfect day then it would be nice outside, so I could take my dog Maverick for a long walk. Then, I’d get Thai food for dinner and stop at one of the many Northeast Minneapolis bars for a gin and tonic (or two)!