From the Senate to the Capitol

As a staff attorney for the Federal Election Commission, Richard Ewell '95 finds himself honing skills that he first developed at Guilford as president of the Community Senate.

"My budding attempts at crafting language for Senate policies were really not much different in many aspects from my current efforts to craft the language of federal campaign finance regulations," he said. "The Guilford Senate provided a microcosm for exploring a lot of issues that exist in life in general. It gave me many opportunities to imagine how a plan might work out after it has been implemented, and to work hard at predicting and preventing problems."  

Before receiving his law degree from the University of Maine in 2001, Ewell spent five years working for an interesting assortment of causes in the nation's capital, beginning with the Friends Committee on National Legislation. All of his internships and externships are in line with his value system — Center for a Sustainable Economy, Hate Crimes Division of the Maine Attorney General's office — a fact that might be expected of a Guilford grad, but not necessarily of a Washington lawyer.  

Lessons in Leadership from a Past President of the Community Senate Learn what has been done before, and take the time to actually do what others have discussed and planned Make a record of what you accomplish Don't be afraid to delegate Pay attention to the power of the agenda Push to accomplish goals early Weigh in on related matters — Richard Ewell '95

The consensus rule of the Guilford Community Senate taught him that the way in which an agreement is reached could be just as important as the agreement itself. He also learned the importance of thoroughly preparing for a meeting and showing up ready to adapt to the needs of others.

At the Federal Election Commission, with six commissioners of two different parties, Ewell's skills in consensus building are paying off.

"In the Community Senate, I learned that if the majority rules in your favor and you out-vote someone, that person won't be committed to the outcome," he said. "Here at the commission, it takes four votes to do anything, so a lot of collaborative agreements much be reached. It requires working across party lines. It's not a matter of compromising, it's sharing ideas and being willing to respect another person's ideas and come to agreement in which the entire body feels satisfied.

"Guilford helped define me as a person. There aren't many opportunities in life to practice what you would like to become and learn from your successes and mistakes and try new things," he said. "By the time I came out of there, I had a whole new set of experiences that I could draw from."

There's no substitute for quality, Ewell says, remembering that at Guilford he was surrounded by bright, creative students, faculty and staff.

"I can trace half of my legal skills to sitting around my dorm suite with a bunch of friends, arguing about challenging each other about ideas," he said. "It was a chance to practice and hone all those verbal skills, thought processes and inter-personal skills."

Perhaps closest to his heart is the influence of Quaker values that challenged students to examine their positions and actions. Ewell acknowledges that for many people Guilford's Quaker heritage is a historical reference point, but for him it was something more.

"The Quaker presence may be the foundation for diversity and group decision-making, but it is, for me, at the heart of the identity of the college. I credit the Quaker presence for setting me on a path of self-exploration and for giving me the tools to effectively learn from the experiences of others as I continue through that journey."