Leading by Example

At the time Wheatley was attending Howard University; originally from the Virgin Islands, he was far from home and paying his own way while attending school and living in Fort Washington, Maryland. When the weather was nice, he would walk past the U.S. Capitol, taking in the architectural details as he traveled to and from school. Wheatley had been looking for a job that would offer him stability. When he saw an opening with the United States Senate restaurants, he immediately applied. He had grown up in the hotel industry and was familiar with a commercial kitchen and restaurant setting. "I was hired and gave them my best for one year. During that time, I met lots of people, started networking and learned about the Architect of the Capitol. I quickly realized there was an entire community within the agency that seemed to do a little bit of everything. There were so many trades; I knew I fit in somewhere," Wheatley said.

The next year, Wheatley applied for a baler machine operator position with the Senate Office Buildings' Night Labor Division within the Architect of the Capitol (AOC). He was responsible for operating the machine, compressing recyclable paper and cardboard into 1,500-pound bales. Wheatley worked with that team until 2001, when he joined the Capitol Building's Plumbing Shop. He started as a helper and advanced quickly — he had studied and learned the plumbing trade while working with his uncle in the Virgin Islands.

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Capitol evening shift pipefitters (from left to right: John Watts, Dale Mathis and Lloyd Lee) prepare to clean and maintain a kitchen drain interceptor system.

Wheatley also took training classes the agency offered and completed the Architect's Mobility Program, an AOC program that allows employees the opportunity to apply for positions where they can gain a specialized skillset. To prepare himself for a leadership position, Wheatley completed an Associate Degree in general studies from the College of Southern Maryland in 2011. He has advanced to supervise a team of four pipefitters for the Capitol Building jurisdiction's second shift.

To his colleagues, Wheatley is "Doc," a nickname he earned his first week on the job in the Capitol jurisdiction. A coworker had a cold and was experiencing symptoms of congestion. Wheatley gave him his grandmother Vinita's recipe of ginger, star anise and cloves. The coworker was soon on the mend and affectionately started calling him Doc, a nickname that much to Wheatley's surprise has stuck with him.

It's appropriate in more ways than one. Listening to Wheatley name the varied aspects of his team's role in maintaining, servicing, upgrading and protecting the many water systems at the Capitol is similar to the service one might expect from an emergency medical team. "Whenever we receive a call about any water issues, we respond immediately and sometimes run to the location." Wheatley and his team are always prepared to make their work as seamless and effective as possible to prevent harm to the people and building they serve.

"We make sure we keep the water systems running and the water going where it's supposed to go. I have a great team helping me do that — I cannot emphasize that enough. They always show up. They make the water systems work."

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Watts vacuums kitchen waste from an underfloor pit.

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Mathis operates specialized equipment to clean a grease interceptor.

Watts vacuums kitchen waste from an underfloor pit; Mathis operates specialized equipment to clean a grease interceptor.

That work alternates between inspections, regular maintenance, upgrading systems and emergency repairs. Wheatley and his evening shift team coordinate with the day shift and schedule projects for times when they will have the least impact on building occupants and events.

Over the decades, Wheatley has witnessed many historical events — every presidential inauguration since George W. Bush, September 11th, the security impacts that soon followed and the opening of the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in 2008. Through it all his love for the job and building has continued, "I've enjoyed every minute of my time working in the Capitol. The experience is invaluable."

When asked about his best day at the AOC, he couldn't pick just one, "I have so many best days." Wheatley enjoys events where the Capitol community joins together to honor those who have served our country, when they are lying in state. "On those days you have a chance to really read their accomplishments, and we give them this recognition — I really respect those occasions," he said. "As a souvenir, I have a file collection of program booklets documenting my presence at these historical events, memories I hope to share with my grandchildren one day."

Wheatley also appreciates his own community of coworkers. "There is so much talent here within the Capitol, and it's amazing to see the results of our work, whether it's the painters, masons, sheet metal workers, HVAC team or the plumbers in my shop, to name a few. We make it happen. We're the ones maintaining this historical building, which is not an easy task. On those days when you see the finished product, you can give everybody a thumbs up and say good job. Those things keep me going."

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Charles "Doc" Wheatley prepares to start the evening shift as Assistant Supervisor in the Capitol Building’s Plumbing Shop.

Capitol Building Superintendent Mark Reed echoes that sentiment for both the Plumbing Shop and for Wheatley, "Whether it's completing preventive maintenance work orders, responding to building leaks or staying to support a late session of Congress, the evening shift Plumbing Shop is professional, responsive and ready to help. Doc is the backbone of the shop; he is always supportive of his team and leads by example. He is the consummate professional, dependable and can always be relied upon to get the job done quickly and accurately."

Throughout our interview, Wheatley noted his love of helping others and supporting his leadership, including Reed. As Wheatley contemplates retirement, he reflected on that aspect of his career and how it has sustained his enthusiasm for his work, "I feel like I'm contributing to the preservation of the Capitol. After 37 years, there must be something that has kept me here this long. I think it has a lot to do with serving the people here at the Capitol — staffers, senators, representatives and my coworkers — helping them accomplish their goals.

"Every time I return to the Virgin Islands to visit my mom, brother and sisters, I often share my experience about the Capitol with my nieces and nephews. They see pictures of the Dome. I repeatedly take the opportunity to inform them that most of what happens in the world goes through the Capitol, and I'm doing my part to help others do their jobs. That brings me a lot of satisfaction. I'm just a small piece of the puzzle in making the building function. I'm very proud of that."