Ms. Ackil’s career began with a Member of Congress who quickly climbed the ranks of House Democratic Leadership. In addition to specializing on health and telecommunications issues, Ms. Ackil contributed to Congressman Menendez’s successful campaign for Democratic Caucus Chairman, and was instrumental in preparing and executing the annual Democratic Caucus Issues Conference. While in the House of Representatives, Robert Menendez was an active member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Ms. Ackil acted as his liaison to address a variety of issues that impact the Hispanic community. In addition, the Congressman held a prestigious position on the House International Relations Committee as the Ranking Member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, and Ms. Ackil was responsible for his global health policy. Ms. Ackil graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana with a double major in Anthropology and Spanish and a minor in Middle Eastern Studies. She has traveled extensively in Western Europe, Chile and Morocco, and is trilingual in English, Spanish and French. She is currently studying Arabic at the Middle East Institute. She resides in Washington, DC with her husband.