Becky Halkias wants to visit her Monessen family during the holidays, but her trip home depends on what President George W. Bush has on her agenda. It’s been years since Halkias moved from Monessen to start a career in Washington, D.C. – a decision that has now led her to the White House. Halkias, the daughter of Stephen and Shirley Halkias of Monessen and the late Marjorie Halkias, recently accepted a position as deputy assistant to the president for legislative affairs for the Office of Homeland Security. She now serves as the office’s liaison to Congress. Before her appointment, Halkias worked in former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge’s Washington office as his deputy chief of staff for federal affairs – lobbying Congress on behalf of Pennsylvania. After Ridge was sworn in as the director of the Office of Homeland Security, he asked Halkias to move over to the White House with him. She started her new position on Oct. 11. “It’s the most incredible honor that anyone could give me and I am so grateful that Gov. Ridge gave me the opportunity and that President Bush allowed me to do so,” said Halkias during a recent telephone interview from her office in the executive branch of the White House. But no one could be more proud than her father, Stephen. A retired steelworker from the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh mill in Monessen, he taught Becky and her brother, Ronald, the value of hard work and determination. “She’s worked very hard to get where she’s at today,” said Stephen Halkias. “But Becky was always like that; she was always a hard worker.” Although Becky Halkias, 46, has worked in politics for over 20 years in Washington, D.C., she started her political career at a young age on Monessen streets. It was there she helped her father campaign for candidates during Monessen’s booming steel years in the 1960s and ’70s. She went on to excel at Monessen High School, graduating as the valedictorian of the class of 1973 and receiving the Hall Honor Plaque, the school’s most prestigious academic honor. She went on to college, graduating from Yale University in 1977 and soon after that started working as a legislative assistant in the House of Representatives and then working for former Congressman Don Bailey. “My dad made a lot of sacrifices so I could get to Yale,” she said proudly. While working in Washington, Halkias went to night school at Georgetown University to earn her law degree. Her career has taken her to positions in law and public relations firms, and as a professional lobbyist over the years. Her political resume took a pivotal turn in 1995, when Ridge asked her to direct his office in Washington, D.C. Her newest title in the White House could be her most challenging of all. Her father says she a “workaholic,” but she still musters the time to telephone him in Monessen. “We’ll talk for about 6 or 7 minutes and before you know it, she’s gotta go – gotta run,” Stephen Halkias said with a laugh. Becky Halkias admits to “being married to her job,” but said she loves every minute of it. A typical day starts around 7 a.m., and on a good night, she says she’ll be able to leave the White House around 8:30 p.m. “But on a bad night, I might be here ’til around midnight,” she said. Halkias, one of the original members of the Homeland Security Office, says the goal is to create a platform for the new department – a challenge that entails countless meetings, phone calls and planning. Her job takes her to trips on Capitol Hill and brings her in contact with Congress members. “We have to build up a legislative staff; we’re basically starting from scratch,” she said. “But, I couldn’t do what I do without the countless support of everyone here at the White House,” Halkias added. “They’ve been truly wonderful.” While Halkias admits, “things are pretty hectic” right now, she is hoping to make it home in time for Christmas. “That’s my goal,” she said. Halkias says she has many “great” friends in her hometown that are like an extended family, including John Novakovich. “I look forward to seeing my family and friends,” said Halkias. “Monessen is always going to be home to me.”

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