One might wonder how a Democrat from New York who worked for Ted Kennedy's congressional campaign ended up as a special assistant to President Bush.
And David Kuo isn't so sure himself, describing the change as "gradual."
Kuo -- who spoke yesterday as part of the Fox Leadership Series -- did not always aspire to work for a conservative administration, but now he serves in the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives.
Yesterday, Kuo discussed the most important lessons he learned from each of his eight previous job experiences, ranging from the CIA to Capitol Hill, before a group of about fifty students at 3619 Locust Walk.
Penn Political Science Professor John DiIulio, adviser to the Fox Leadership Program and the original head of OFBCI, introduced Kuo as his "friend and brother," commenting that he is "easily the most talented, creative and extraordinary young colleague I have had the pleasure of knowing."
Kuo began his road to the top after graduating from Tufts University in 1990, when he worked with the Right to Life Committee in Washington, D.C. He aligned himself with the Democratic Party, and there he learned the importance of being a team player.
"My boss taught me that how you stuff an envelope is just as important as how you lobby a senator," he said.
Kuo worked for a Republican for the first time when he joined Bill Bennett to found Empower America. In 1994, Kuo furthered his Republican work by assisting John Ashcroft, who was then a junior senator.
"I didn't know that much about John Ashcroft, but I knew that working on Capitol Hill for a junior senator would be exciting," Kuo explained.
During his time with Ashcroft, Kuo discovered his strong beliefs regarding the relationship between religious and secular organizations.
"Government money should not fund proselytizing," he said. "That said, religious organizations should not be discriminated against because they have a cross or a mezuzzah."
Kuo and his colleagues helped Ashcroft author a bill which prevented the government from discriminating against religious organizations when granting funding. It was passed in 1995.
After serving as a speech writer for various public figures such as Bob Dole and America Online's Steve Case, Kuo found his way to a desk at the White House to work with DiIulio, who was then a special assistant to the President.
"I had never really desired to work in the White House," Kuo recalled. "But I am truly having the best experience of my life."
Kuo was well received by his Penn audience. College freshman Ophelia Roman commented, "I was impressed with his goals to ensure equal opportunity for religious and secular groups to get funding."
College senior Jeff Berman worked with Kuo this summer on Faith Baith Initiatives and was excited to hear him speak.
"Any opportunity to listen to [him] is one I will gladly take advantage of," Berman said.
Imparting final words of advice, Kuo reflected on his past twelve years in politics.
"I learned that failure is either educational or definitional," he said. "Either you define yourself as a loser, or you can learn from your mistakes."
