In addition to working with my civically engaged and impactful faculty colleagues, I am also very privileged to work with some incredible career counselors in our school. Denise Fowler has been with us over 13 years, and most career staff around NASPAA schools know her well. Denise and our other fabulous career counselor have worked miracles over this last year – supported by alumni -  to help alumni who lost their positions in the federal government and federal contractors find new positions. It has been a very challenging year, but our community has risen to the occasion. Our Advisory Council stepped up to raise funds to establish our new Internships Fund that we now use to support our students who are in unpaid internships. These funds have also allowed us to partner with the Partnership for Public Service’s Internships program. 

The Partnership’s program provides additional support beyond our incredible Career Advancement team, and provides participants with a valuable cohort experience. The Partnership's Senior Vice President, Michelle Amante, is our MPA alum and we have worked closely for two decades now. We have long benefited from our location to help our students gain work experience while they study, and this is continuing despite the unusual times in which we live.

Earlier this month, we kicked off the spring semester with our first Trachtenberg Listens gathering.

Students, faculty, staff, and alumni came together for an honest and energizing conversation centered on what we value, what brings us joy, and what gives us hope. The depth of reflection and openness in the room made for a powerful start to the series and a meaningful reminder of the humanity behind our work.

Trachtenberg Listens is part of the broader America Listens initiative, which we will host this September. America Listens presents a rare opportunity for audiences to listen to speakers from a cross-section of backgrounds, occupations and experiences, who live different values and perspectives about the central issues of our state and our time. Speakers will tell their very human stories to an audience of courage and integrity who will honor them with attentive listening. More information coming soon!

Jeff Marootian (MPA) is the President and CEO of UL Standards & Engagement, a 501(c)(4) safety standards and advocacy organization advancing safety and sustainability through standards development and public engagement. He previously led the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, overseeing a $3 billion innovation portfolio. He also served as a Senior Advisor to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and as a Special Assistant to the President in the Biden-Harris White House.

Earlier, he led the District Department of Transportation, where he oversaw $4 billion in critical infrastructure projects, including the reconstruction of the historic Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, and advanced technology-driven solutions to improve safety and reduce emissions. 

He also served as Assistant Secretary for Administration and Chief Sustainability Officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation, helping advance a safer, more sustainable transportation system. He has served on the boards of WMATA and the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation.

As an alumnus of The George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Administration, Jeff credits TSPPA with helping shape his approach to public service and leadership. The school has been an integral part of his career story—providing the foundation for the values, tools, and perspective he has carried across roles in government and the private sector. 

Shikun Qin is an Associate Professor at the School of Public Finance and Taxation, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE), China. From March 2026 to March 2027, he will be a visiting scholar at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration. His research interests lie in public budgeting and finance, with a particular focus on the governance logic of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). 

His recent work also examines the effects of e-Procurement on public contract performance, as well as the measurement and impact of local government fiscal risks.

His forthcoming book, Public–Private Partnerships in China: Governance Logic and Policy Implications, will be published by Routledge in 2026.

Ellan Get N. Tingson is a State Auditor and an Audit Team Leader of the Commission on Audit, Regional Office XI in Davao City, Philippines. He is a member of the Integrated Bar of the
Philippines and Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants and also a law professor of the Jose Maria College, College of Law. His research interests include public administration, audit and public accountability. 

As a Fulbright U.S. – ASEAN Visiting Scholar awardee Ellan will
understand the evolution of the political environment in the U.S. 
vis-à-vis public accountability in Trachtenberg, through its
professors of the political science and political management department.

Through the said program, Ellan will also obtain knowledge on the effective tools and techniques in
the conduct of performance audit by having correspondences with the personnel of the U.S. -Government Accountability Office (U.S.-GAO). As a public servant, he advocates good governance and believes that an effective performance audit will re-enforce public accountability to curb corruption and safeguard public funds and resources. Through the program, Ellan could formulate and propose policies in the conduct of performance audit. He aimed to become a better-equipped and skilled state auditor of the Commission on Audit when he came back.

Trachtenberg is teaming up with seven other "good government" nonprofit and academic institutions in hosting an important bipartisan conference entitled Driving Government Efficiency: Delivering Measurable Results here at GW.

This conference is being designed as a call to action in support of a serious and sustainable modernization agenda across the government. Our objective is to leverage the collective influence of our organizations to drive this agenda into the government's policy and cultural mainstream by engaging high-level policymakers from the executive and legislative branches in this important discussion.

Speakers will include Senator Rand Paul, Larry Allen, Michael Rigas, Senator Maggie Hassan, Representative Pete Sessions, Scott Kupor and Eric Ueland.

The conference will take place on March 5 in the University Student Center, 3rd Floor.

→  Learn more and register here.

ASPA's Annual Conference is public administration's largest gathering of the year and the 2026 event will carry on this tradition. Please join the Trachtenberg community for hors d'oeuvres and drinks on us at the ASPA Conference!

The reception will take place on March 22 from 7 - 8:30pm at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, California.

→ RSVP here. 

This spring, Trachtenberg’s Executive in Residence (EIR) program kicked off with a virtual discussion on Maintaining Hope as a Leader, offering students and alumni the opportunity to engage directly with accomplished graduates and gain real-world leadership insight.

Throughout the semester, EIRs will continue to host networking sessions designed to foster meaningful connections and provide guidance on career growth, leadership development, and navigating the next steps of the professional journey.

→ Watch the full episode here.

Executive Board Members of Policy Perspectives Naomi Atughonu (PhD) and Christian Schamberger (MPP) were selected as Visiting Editors for Princeton SPIA's Journal of Public and International Affairs and had the opportunity to participate in their Reading Weekend this month to select articles for their next volume.

Policy Perspectives, the longest running journal of its kind, is a public policy and public administration journal published by graduate students at the Trachtenberg School.

→ Learn more on their website here. 

TSPPPA students Hyejin Kim (MPA) and Kibin Ahn (MPP) recently attended AGA’s National Leadership Training, an annual professional development event for government financial management professionals. As part of their client-based project in Director Newcomer’s PPPA 6016 (Public and Nonprofit Program Evaluation), the students are working with AGA this semester. AGA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance accountability, transparency, and leadership in government.

The conference brings together federal, state, and local government financial professionals and auditors from the public and private sectors. During the event, the students engaged with attendees to discuss strategies for promoting the adoption of the Citizen-Centric Report (CCR), a four-page public report that helps the public understand the mission, performance, and use of public resources of primarily state and local governments and nonprofit organizations.

Michael Worth welcomed and took a picture with the Walk for Peace Buddhist Monks when they concluded their 108-day journey on foot at GW's campus from their home monastery. 

→ Read more about the Walk for Peace here.

Leighton Ku was quoted in Prism in the article “Parents brace for tighter SNAP work requirements’’ by Julie Zenderoudi.

Susan Dudley authored the article “Valuing the Benefits of Reducing Fine Particles" for The Regulatory Review.

Kathryn Newcomer was featured in the episode “The Flemming Awards for Public Service” on the Good Government Show.

The Postsecondary Education and Economics Research Center's research was featured in Inside Higher Ed in the article “Grad School Completion Lags Despite Growth.’

Ben Simon co-authored a paper "Using markets to adapt to climate change" for Science.  

Steven Balla was quoted in MedPage Today in the article “What Action Will RFK Jr. Take on Ultraprocessed Foods?’’ by Joyce Frieden.

Finn Dobkin and Matias Vesperoni spoke to Federal News Network in the segment “The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton."