Oversight Boot Camps

At least twice per year, POGO, in conjunction with the Levin Center at Wayne Law and The Lugar Center, offer two-day, intensive training sessions for congressional staff on the art and practice of oversight and investigations. Each of these "Oversight Boot Camps" combines staff from the U.S. House and Senate, committees and personal offices, and the Democratic and Republican parties to produce a bipartisan, bicameral experience. To date, more than 400 congressional staff have completed this training on how to do fact-based, bipartisan, in-depth investigations.

The Oversight Boot Camps are generally offered in February and August of each year during a week when the U.S. House and Senate are both out of session. Each boot camp lasts two full days, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. when in person, and from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. when online.

Curious about what's involved and what you'll learn? Read the recap of our last oversight boot camp.

Meet the Instructors

Tim Stretton, Director, Congressional Oversight Initiative, Project On Government Oversight.

He trains congressional staff on how to conduct better oversight and investigations by providing information, advice and other assistance. From 2013 to 2019, Stretton served under U.S. Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-ME) as an investigator and professional staff member on the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging. There he led investigations into international scams targeting seniors, financial exploitation and elder abuse, as well as prescription drug pricing. Based on these investigations, Tim drafted several pieces of legislation that became law. Tim earned his M.A. in Diplomacy at Norwich University. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine.

Dave Rapallo, Associate Professor of Law; Director of the Federal Legislation Clinic, Georgetown Law.

Dave Rapallo joined the faculty as Clinic Director after spending 23 years in high-level positions in Congress and the White House. Before coming to Georgetown, Dave served for ten years as Staff Director of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform under then-Chairman Elijah E. Cummings. He supervised a team of more than 70 attorneys, investigators, legislative experts, and communications staff, as well as the Committee’s five subcommittees, and oversaw a broad range of legislative efforts. During President Barack Obama’s first term, Dave served as Senior Director and Counsel for Legislative Oversight at the National Security Council, working directly with the offices of the Chief of Staff, White House Counsel, and Legislative Affairs. Dave previously served as General Counsel on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and as Chief Investigative Counsel on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform under then-Chairman Henry A. Waxman. Dave has served on or advised several special committees, including those investigating the events of Hurricane Katrina, the attacks in Benghazi, and the coronavirus pandemic, and he served on the House of Representatives’ team during the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Dave also served as one of the Clinic’s first Teaching Fellows in the 1990s under the Clinic’s founder, Chai Feldblum.

Find a full list of instructors on the Levin Center's website.

Want to learn more?

Contact Aisha Shafi at [email protected].