Kate Travis Deepens the CFM Bench on Transportation and Infrastructure Issues
Kate Travis, who served as special assistant to former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, has joined CFM as a legislative assistant in its Washington, DC office that represents numerous Pacific Northwest clients with transportation and infrastructure interests.
For Secretary Buttigieg, Travis reviewed and provided feedback on policy memos, grant awards and grant funding, as well as oversaw the his daily briefing book. “At the U.S. Department of Transportation, I saw firsthand how infrastructure, visibly and invisibly, affects daily life across the country,” she says.
“The addition of Kate further deepens our knowledge and experience on transportation issues and relationships with DOT officials in charge of key programs,” says Joel Rubin, CFM Partner for Federal Affairs. “Kate also brings a set of communication skills that can benefit our clients and our firm.”
The addition of Travis expands CFM’s federal team to nine professional staff members.
“Whether it is connecting communities through rail and transit or ensuring that goods pass through our ports, I know CFM’s clients are essential to the Pacific Northwest and the nation,” Travis says. “I am looking forward to collaborating with CFM’s federal team and their clients on critical projects to secure needed federal support.”
Originally from Medfield, Massachusetts near Boston, Travis graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in history and literature, a minor in government and a citation in Spanish.
Prior to joining DOT, Travis worked for Crooked Media, founded in 2017 by former Barack Obama staffers. She coordinated research and drafted video scripts for podcasts and talking points for events that she organized. Travis also researched, wrote copy, recorded and edited social media posts on Instagram, X and TikTok for a combined audience of 300,000+ followers.
Travis was a Democracy Program intern for the Brennan Center for Justice in DC where she researched federal legislation addressing governmental transparency and accountability for federal officials. She also compiled backgrounders on Members of Congress to brief Brennan staffers for congressional testimony.
She served as a Fellow for Equal Citizens, a nonprofit founded by Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig dedicated to reforms seeking citizen equality. Travis researched, wrote and edited 12 weekly newsletters and a commentary about H.R. 1, known as the For The People Act.
Travis cut her political teeth working for the Maine Democratic Coordinated Campaign for Biden-Harris in 2020. She led 40 phone bank training sessions for 1,200+ volunteers, oversaw 400,000 phone calls to voters and managed a team of 20 volunteer leaders and eight interns to operate the largest virtual staging location in Maine.
When she isn’t working, Travis likes to run – a lot. She ran the Marine Corps Marathon in DC in 2023 and routinely runs half-marathons twice yearly. She’s also a biker, skier and member of a DC trivia team.
After leaving DOT when the new administration took over, Travis took a month-long trip to China visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Changbaishan and Harbin. She observed Chinese infrastructure and transportation, including the Great Wall, as well as attended lantern festivals to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Harbin Ice Festival where famous Asian landmarks are recreated in ice.
As someone of her age would, Travis travelled to Lisbon last year to observe its unique architecture, museums and multi-level cityscape – along with attending a Taylor Swift concert.
