After teaching art for five years in elementary and junior high school, Pope moved to Washington, D.C., to work for Senator
Gary Hart from 1975 to 1977. In 1977, Pope left Capitol Hill to work for the
National Wildlife Federation, only to return to the Hill in 1979 to work for Senator
John Culver. When Culver lost his bid for reelection in 1980, Senator
George J. Mitchell kept her on at the Environment and Public Works Committee staff before hiring her first as his administrative assistant in 1985 and later as the chief of staff in 1989 when he became majority leader. In 1989, the second edition of
The Almanac of the Unelected characterize her as "glue - she makes things work." In 1991, Mitchell had Pope appointed Sergeant at Arms to replace the retiring
Henry K. Giugni. While serving as Sergeant at Arms, Pope updated the Senate's antiquated dress code in 1993 to allow women to wear pants on the Senate floor. This brought the Senate dress code rules more inline with contemporary rules used in the business world, in state legislatures, and in the House of Representatives. After
Walter J. Stewart announced his retirement as Secretary to the Senate in 1994, Mitchell made arrangements so that Pope would succeed Stewart as Secretary prior to Mitchell's own planned retirement from the Senate. In January 1995, Pope left her job at the Senate to assist her former boss, the newly appointed
United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland and former Senator Mitchell, as Senior Advisor for the Northern Ireland Peace Negotiations until July 1998, after the peace agreement went in effect. In recognition of "her outstanding contribution to peace talks, which led to the Good Friday Agreement", Pope was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) from
Ulster University on July 4, 2019. In 2001, Pope became a member of the
Hofstra University board of trustees. ==References==