Jocilyn Gilbert

About Jocilyn

Jocilyn Gilbert is a Legislative Assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives striving to advance environmental, health and labor policy priorities. Her congressional career began as an intern for the late Congressman John Lewis and then she transitioned to full-time staff in his office. Since then, Jocilyn has worked on influential legislation such as the National Heritage Area Act, the National Defense Authorization Act, numerous appropriations legislation, and multiple recognition resolutions. In addition, in recent years, Jocilyn has advised on foreign policy matters and has penned multiple policy memos addressing human rights issues in Asia and Latin America. As a Congressional staffer, Jocilyn has participated in the Wilson Center Foreign Policy Fellowship program as well as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Climate Crossroads Congressional Fellowship. Through these experiences, she has witnessed the legislative gaps in actively resolving the global climate crisis and therefore seeks to further engage in the intersection of foreign and environmental policy to be a catalyst for change at local levels.   Jocilyn earned a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from Columbus State University. As an undergraduate student, she gained experience abroad in Mexico which ignited her interest in global affairs. While completing her Masters in Africana Studies at Georgia State University, she studied the experiences of people of the African diaspora in Jamaica and wrote her graduate thesis on the intersectional identities of race, sex, and profession. A lifelong learner, Jocilyn’s free time is spent trying new recipes, reading autobiographies, and studying languages. She is very proud of her two-year plus Duolingo streak.