Laurie Schultz Heim

Former Director of Congressional Relations, U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP)

Laurie Schultz Heim was Director of Congressional Relations at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) from 2007 to 2016. She represented USIP on Capitol Hill and provided guidance to USIP’s President on relations with Congress. Her primary responsibility was to secure USIP’s annual direct funding from Congress. This required acquainting Congress with USIP’s mediation and conflict prevention work in areas around the world and convincing Members of Congress of USIP’s important contribution to US national security and conflict reduction. Since retiring from USIP, Laurie is making more time for people and projects closer to home.

Laurie worked for 23 years in the legislative process on Capitol Hill. She served as senior policy adviser to Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT) from 1989 through 2006. Her areas of responsibility included foreign policy, defense, arms control, veterans’ affairs and trade policy. Laurie was Senator Jeffords’ personal representative to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1991 to 1994 and staffed him on the Senate Appropriations Committee Foreign Operations Subcommittee from 1995 to 1996 and the Committee on Veterans Affairs from 1999 to 2006. Laurie joined Jeffords’ office in 1983 when he was Vermont’s lone US Representative to advise him on foreign and defense policy, telecommunications and tax reform. Laurie served as Jeffords’ legislative director from 1985 to until his election to the Senate in 1988.

Laurie holds a B.A. from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. After graduating, she worked from September 1979 to May 1980 at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Laurie then earned a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a certificate from the Harriman Institute for the Advanced Study of the Soviet Union. She has been active over the years with Sports on the Hill, a Capitol Hill youth sports organization, and served as Advancement Chair for Capitol Hill Boy Scouts for many years. Laurie currently volunteers for the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project. She and her husband, Peter, have two grown sons.