PLP 2010 Profile: Charlie Keller

Name: Charlie Keller
Age: 33
Birthplace: Born in Wellfleet, MA. Moved to VA from Kerrville, Texas in 2000.
Current Digs: Arlington
Occupation: Communications Director for United States Congressman Doc Hastings (WA-04)
Favorite part about the job: Learning something new each and every day and being at the center of government, politics and policy for our nation.
Your first job ever? Outside of family, the first job was working two jobs the summer I was 17 on Cape Cod. One was an ice cream and pizza joint during the day, and the other was a restaurant in the evening. My first job ever though was working on a ranch part time for my parents in Texas from about 10 years old on in the summers, cutting trees, hauling brush, fixing roads, and taking care of animals.
Favorite book? Probably The Old Man and the Boy, Robert Ruark
Favorite movie? The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Dead Poets Society
Comfort food? Pizza
What's in your car CD player right now? Robert Earl Keen, Pat Green, Kevin Fowler, Charlie Robison, Barenaked Ladies
Next journey? Nothing big planned. Up to CT to visit my wife's family for Labor Day.
Favorite Virginia vacation spot? Hiking in the Shenandoah Mountains with a stop at a winery or two on the way home.
First political memory? Ronald Reagan and the great prosperity he brought to the country throughout his time in office.
Whom do you admire and why? Congressman Lamar Smith. He was my first boss (in my professional life), and the most ethical person I have ever met. He always thinks about what is best for his constituents and works hard every day to uphold their trust in him and his actions.
Best advice you ever got? "The road goes on forever, and the party never ends." - on my wedding day
If you could have dinner with any one currently living, whom would it be and why? F.W. de Klerk. For a politician to push through racial de-segregation in the face of his own political self interest was a powerful statement to the world. He freed Nelson Mandela, and helped usher in the peaceful end to apartheid and the continued success of the South African nation.
Describe a perfect day. Hunting in the morning with my dad as the sun rises, spending the whole day outdoors with my wife, and then closing it out with a glass of red wine and a Robert Earl Keen concert with my whole extended family.
One thing most people might be surprised to learn about you? I (used to) know how to sail a boat.
Ambition, political or otherwise? I would one day like the honor of representing my community in the state house and in Congress.