Who We Are: CAO Senior Management
Jerry Bennett
As Assistant CAO for Assets, Furnishings and Logistics Jerry Bennett oversees units that warehouse, deliver, repair and construct House furniture; track, remove and dispose of House equipment; processes payments for House goods and services.
Bennett started working in the House in 1969, where he worked in the Folding Room to process a Congressional newsletter. All told, Bennett has had eight different jobs in the House.
Tim Blodgett
Chief Administrative Counsel Tim Blodgett’s primary function is to advise the CAO on whether the actions the organization is considering conform to law, rules and regulations. This includes the proper use of government funds, procurement guidelines and Congressional Accountability Act issues. Administrative Counsel is also responsible for reviewing Member District Office and vehicle leases to ensure Committee on House Administration regulations are adhered to. He and his team also advise Members and staff regarding the use of funds and contracts.
He received his bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from Buffalo State College before earning a law degree at The American University Washington College of Law.
Tom Coyne
Tom Coyne’s position as assistant CAO for Customer Solutions Delivery requires him to manage diverse departments within the organization, including the Customer Solutions Center, Photography Studio, Recording Studio, Service Management department, the Office Supply Store and the Gift Shop.
Coyne earned his bachelors degree in accounting from George Mason University. He’s held several jobs within the CAO since he arrived in 1991.
Walt Edwards
Walt Edwards serves as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and as a senior advisor to Dan Beard. He is responsible for managing the departments of Logistics, Furnishings, Asset Management, Customer Service Delivery and Work Flow Management. He also supervises the House Office Supply Store, the House Gift Shop, House Photography and the House Recording Studio.
He received both his bachelor and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Arizona State University.
Mel Gipprich
In 2008, Carmela (Mel) Ruffino Gipprich became Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard’s Chief of Staff. Gipprich organizes Dan’s professional life and manages a wide array of CAO projects.
Originally from Philadelphia, she studied nursing in college, but soon discovered medicine was not her calling. She worked on political campaigns for the US Senate, US House of Representatives, PA Gubernatorial, PA State House and Philadelphia Mayoral seats. She later earned a Master's Certificate in Human Resources. In 2004, Gipprich joined the CAO as the Administrative Director before becoming Beard’s CoS.
Jason Hite
Human Resources Director Jason Hite supports several different roles within the organization, which relate to the Office of CAO Human Resources and Office of Employee Assistance. He provides oversight on recruitment, performance management, employee relations and general HR administration activities. He partners with the Chief Administrative Counsel’s Office to ensure that all CAO Human Resources activities are compliant with the House Employees Position Classification Act and the Congressional Accountability Act.
Hite earned his bachelor’s degree in Management from Saint Francis University and his master’s in Human Resources Management from Napier University in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Bob Lane
As Executive Director of the Green the Capitol Program, Robert Lane oversees sustainable energy saving and environmentally-friendly initiatives dedicated to reducing carbon footprint from various House activities. In this capacity, Lane works to green the CAO, Member and Committee offices. He also coordinates with the CAO and the Architect of the Capitol managers on technological, structural, transportation and behavioral changes underway in various House Office Buildings and District Offices.
Lane is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and holds a Masters Degree from Arizona State University.
Lou Magnotti
Lou Magnotti is the Chief Information Officer for House Information Resources. After nine years as Director of the House Information Security Office, Magnotti accepted the role of CIO in November 2008. He supervises a dynamic team of information technology employees responsible for infrastructure, messaging, security, communications, business applications and customer support.
Magnotti earned a Master of Science degree in computer science from James Madison University and has over 27 years of government and industry experience.
Robert Noll
In his role as the Director of Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery, Robert Noll is leading a comprehensive, all-hazards “Business Continuity” program touching almost every aspect of business operations for the CAO. In the past 10 years before his current role as Director, Rob has served various positions including support to the Speaker of the House, Vice President of the United States, and a Member of Congress.
Noll earned his bachelor’s degree at Salisbury University.
Patricia Orsini
As the program director for the House of Representatives’ Wounded Warrior Program, Patricia Orsini coordinates a program aimed at hiring wounded warriors into fellowships throughout the lower chamber.
Orsini holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University and a Certificate of General Practice from the Institute for Paralegal Training in Philadelphia, PA. She recently retired as a Master Gunnery Sergeant from the U. S. Marine Corps with over 30 years of service, 24 of which were spent on active duty.
Kathy Perdue
As the Assistant CAO for Administrative and Financial Services, Kathy Perdue serves as the organization’s Chief Financial Officer. Her role is to provide strategic and operational oversight for finance, payroll and benefits and procurement services.
In 1999, Perdue received a PhD in adult education from the University of Georgia. Before that, she earned a master’s in Computer Information Systems at Georgia State University and a bachelor’s degree, also in Computer Information Systems, at Arizona State University. She also holds a master’s degree from Webster University in Management and a degree from the University of Oklahoma in Business Administration.
Perry Plumart
As director of special projects for the CAO, Perry Plumart has worked primarily on behalf of the House’s environmentally-friendly Green the Capitol program. In his newly expanded role, Plumart also oversees all aspects of the food service program, including aspects related to the greening program. He remains in charge of various aspects of the greening initiative, including demonstration and pilot projects dealing with energy technologies and best greening practices. Plumart also serves as the point person between Restaurant Associates, the House’s food service vendor, and the Chief Administrative Officer.
He began working for the CAO in 2007 and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science at South Dakota State University.
Ali Qureshi
Ali Qureshi serves as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and as a senior advisor to Dan Beard. He is responsible for House operations and oversees about a dozen departments, including: House Information Resources and Administrative and Financial Services. Qureshi has over five years experience with the CAO and a background as a consultant in the private sector.
He has a graduate degree from the Wharton School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania.
Jeff Ventura
As Director of Communications for the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, Jeff Ventura oversees all of the division's internal and external communication programs, including the content on the House's intranet site and two externally-facing web addresses. He is responsible for all media relations activity related to inquiries with regard to House operations -- and functions as the organization's Press Secretary.
Ventura has previously worked as a newspaper reporter for two mid-sized daily newspapers, and in various public relations positions, most recently with Harvard University's medical system and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He possesses a masters degree in public relations and another in journalism from Columbia University.
Kathy Wyszynski
In 2007, Kathy Wyszynski became a Senior Advisor to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the House and advises the CAO on human capital, benefits, and work life programs and initiatives, as well as leads the human capital programs within the Green the Capitol Initiative.
A native Philadelphian, Wyszynski came to the Washington, DC area in 1982 to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Administration at American University.
