Q&A with Lot Sixteen Vice President Geof Koss
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Geof Koss, Lot Sixteen Vice President, Phish-lover and skateboarder, sat down with us to discuss insights as a past Hill reporter, how to disconnect and recharge from work, and advice for young professionals in Washington, D.C.
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Did you always like to write?
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I always recognized I was good at it. What’s funny is I started undergrad as a science major and was thinking about going to medical school. I took all my math and science classes but kept thinking, I have this marketable skill to understand things and write in layman’s terms. After undergrad, I chose to go to the University of Colorado, Boulder, and get my Master’s degree in journalism.
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Did you always have an interest in writing about Congress and current legislation?
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I am a history nerd. I love it. I also like process. You can do well for yourself with policy reporting. It’s not a fad beat. It’s a topic that will always have a reporting need, because a large audience is interested. Not only does the normal population want to know what’s going on on Capitol Hill, so do the people working in D.C.
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You have decades of experience as a journalist, what made you want to make the jump to leave reporting?
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COVID. I absolutely loved being on the Hill. Every day was different and went by so quickly. It was crazy; you’d be in the nation’s capital talking to and seeing celebrities and famous people. Plus, I belonged. I knew everyone, and they knew me. But once COVID happened, there was a shift. You couldn’t talk to people face-to-face, couldn’t grab coffee, and it was the first time in my life that trying to complete a story became a drag. Capitol Hill was such a big part of my life, but I decided I needed to do something else. I knew Colin (Lot Sixteen co-founder) from his work in the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources. I gave him a call to catch up, and next thing I knew I had an offer to come work at Lot Sixteen. Connections really do go a long way.
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Is there any advice you would give to young professionals starting their career in D.C.?
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My time as a journalist on the Hill taught me the importance of observation. I learned so much from simply being there and paying attention to what was going on around me. If I wanted a quote from a specific member of Congress, I would stand in the hallway, sit outside their office or wait for a hearing to be over, and just be there. It’s important to listen and observe. There’s power in observation – you can learn a lot.
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How has skateboarding impacted your life?
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I started skateboarding when I was around 12. It was the first thing I discovered on my own, and I was obsessed with it. When you’re a kid, you’re skating everywhere. But by the end of high school I had stopped skating because there wasn’t really anywhere to skate – there were no skateparks in those days, and you can only get kicked out of the mall parking lot so many times. Plus my friends and I started driving and discovered other things to do.  
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Fast-forward to five years ago, a friend of mine gave me a board, and I started riding around my neighborhood. It felt so good to be back. It’s also weird because you’re a lot bigger than you were as a kid. You kind of have to reteach yourself how to skateboard.
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But it’s more fun now that I’m older. I’m a better skater than I was back then. I learned a whole new style of skating – carving in bowls. It’s also cool to me that I thought this thing I loved so much as a kid was gone, but in reality it never left. And it’s a huge part of my life today.

What recharges you?
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Hanging out with my kids, they’re 12 and 14. Traveling with them is also really fun.
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Also no surprise, skateboarding. It’s improved my mental and physical health, especially when dealing with professional burnout. The physical activity releases endorphins and adrenaline and leaves you with a natural high, like the feeling of peace you get after a yoga class.
 

I also really value creativity. I like to build things out of wood or make mosaics with sea glass. I even built my coffee table! If you have an urge to be creative, don’t shut that part down. You don’t have to be a professional to make something beautiful or useful and have fun doing it.

Anything else to include?
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I really like working at the Lot. When I worked on Capitol Hill and at E&E News, I loved the people. They were all smart, fun colleagues, which of course makes work enjoyable. I’m really glad to have that here.