Celebrating Trachtenberg: Reflections from Director Newcomer |
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Reflections from Director Kathy Newcomer |
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Last month, as we were hooding our PhD students, I saluted the many of our PhD alumni who have taken leadership roles in public administration and public policy programs across the country. In this issue I celebrate our many PhD alumni who are serving in leadership roles in the public policy arena outside of academe.
Our doctoral program welcomes part-time students, and so we enjoy admitting many students from the international arena, such as the World Bank and IDB, as well as Think Tanks, and research organizations like the Urban Institute and Mathematica.
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The Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration and the Regulatory Studies Center presents the Executive Innovation Series. Webinars will shine a spotlight on issues such as data governance, energy, program evaluation, policy engagement, professional development, and more.Find out more about the Executive Innovation Series here.
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Emerging Trends in Regulation (and Deregulation) |
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Join TSPPPA and the GW Regulatory Studies Center for the first webinar in our new Executive Innovation Series. “Emerging Trends in Regulation (and Deregulation)” is a timely and insightful webinar featuring Professors William Yeatman, a leading expert on administrative law, and Susan Dudley, one of the nation’s foremost authorities on regulatory process.
Together, they will unpack how recent Supreme Court decisions and the Trump administration’s deregulatory initiatives are reshaping the federal rulemaking landscape. This session will offer clear, expert-driven analysis of what these developments mean for regulators, practitioners, and anyone who follows the evolving architecture of the administrative state.
→ The first event will take place on Tuesday, June 25 from 1 - 2pm. Register here.
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Executive Innovation Series: Public Sector Leadership in the Age of AI |
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The panelists, Cynthia Pierre, Frank Digiammarino, Garrett Kephart, and Director Kathryn Newcomer, will discuss the role of public sector leaders in embracing changes connected to AI while attending to risk as well. Speakers will highlight the readiness layers that leaders must enable including data, trust, and governance - to ensure that AI improves public value safely, repeatedly, and at scale. They will also highlight the tradeoffs between sustainability in public actions and embracing AI, and how leaders can effectively lead such unprecedented change efforts within their agencies.
→ This event will take place on Tuesday, July 9 at 12pm. Register here.
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TSPPPA Faculty and Students Engaging in Research Together: Public Management Research Conference |
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Kathryn Newcomer and Kate Yang |
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Kathryn Newcomer, Sanjay K. Pandey and Jin Hyeok Lee
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Meet the Trachtenberg PhD Alumni Redefining Research Outside Academia
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Josette Arévalo (PhD '17) is a Senior Specialist at the Office of Evaluation and Oversight of the Inter-American Development Bank Group. With a PhD in Public Policy from George Washington University, Josette also holds a master’s in development economics, a master’s in public policy, and a BA in economics and finance. Over the past fifteen years, Josette has led and contributed to major evaluations for international organizations, including corporate and country program evaluations, and has authored influential publications in evaluation and development. Josette’s expertise spans program evaluation methods, social policy, and public health, among others.
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Josette has served on editorial boards, networks and councils in the evaluation field, and is committed to advancing evaluation capacity and knowledge sharing globally.
"The TSPPPA program was foundational in shaping my career in evaluation. It provided me with a strong grounding in program evaluation theory and advanced mixed-methods approaches, combining rigorous quantitative and qualitative skills. Just as importantly, it opened doors to a vibrant professional network and created opportunities to actively engage in the evaluation community through AEA and other international conferences. These experiences not only strengthened my technical expertise but also helped position me for a career contributing to evaluation practice at a global level." - Josette Arévalo
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Seth Brown (PhD '21) is a Principal Researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), a leading nonprofit research organization that generates evidence to improve education systems and inform public policy. He leads large-scale evaluations of education programs, specializing in rigorous, multi-site studies that examine impacts on teaching, learning, and student outcomes. Dr. Brown brings deep expertise in study design, data collection, and quantitative analysis, along with extensive experience managing complex field operations and working with federal, state, and local partners. He earned his PhD in Education Policy from the George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School, where he developed a strong foundation in quantitative methods and policy implementation in education.
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Nick Hart (PhD' 16) is the President & CEO of the Data Foundation. He is a recognized advocate and leader for establishing systems and practices that enable evidence-informed policymaking and open data practices to succeed around the world to improve society. He is an expert in United States policies related to data, evaluation, statistics, science, and privacy.
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Estelle Raimondo (PhD '16) is the Head of Methods and Data Science at the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group, where she ensures evaluation quality, advises and trains teams on a wide range of evaluation methodologies, and leads the adoption of data science and AI for evaluation practice. Estelle is a faculty member of the International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET), a member of the College of Experts of the French National Commission on the Evaluation of Official Development Assistance, and a former board member of the European Evaluation Society.
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Her research has been published in several internationally peer-reviewed journals and manuscripts. Estelle holds a PhD in Public Policy and Program Evaluation from the George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration.
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Abhishek Saurav (PhD '18) is a Senior Economist with the Finance, Competitiveness, and Investment Practice in the Prosperity Vertical of the World Bank Group. An Indian national, Dr. Saurav is internationally recognized for his expertise in designing policy reforms and development programs that drive productive investments and foster economic growth. He leads high-level policy dialogue and evidence-based interventions on structural economic transformation, private sector development, trade and investment, and economic growth.
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His work is marked by a strong commitment to bridging the gap between policy research and its practice, supported by a robust track record in research, knowledge dissemination, and collaboration.
Dr. Saurav has demonstrated global leadership and innovation in economic development policy and practice. As an architect of several World Bank research tools and policy solutions, he has contributed significantly to understanding systemic challenges in private sector and investment growth worldwide. His research focuses on private investment, job creation, and productivity growth, and he has provided policy advice to governments across diverse regions, including South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, East Asia, the United States, and the European Union. Dr. Saurav is widely published and a frequent presenter at international economics and business conferences.
His academic background is multidisciplinary and distinguished. Dr. Saurav holds a bachelor’s degree in information technology from the University of Delhi in India, a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University in Virginia, United States, and a doctorate in public policy and public administration from the George Washington University in Washington, DC, United States.
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Regulatory Studies Center: Regulatory Crosswinds Can the US and EU Stay Aligned Amid Administrative Upheaval? |
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2026 Capstone Projects Create Impact |
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For 20+ years, Trachtenberg's capstone students have provided pro-bono projects for clients, many of whom are alumni. The capstone teams design and implement substantial analytical projects. We extend our sincere thanks to our 2026 Capstone Clients and our Capstone Students!
Spring 2026 Capstone Course Clients
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Anacostia Riverkeeper
- Ayiti Agroecologico, CASA, Conamuca
- Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
- Community Opportunity Alliance
- DC Commission on Poverty at the DC Department of Employment Services
- Destination DC
- Dodon Center for Ecological Farming
- Friendship Place
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National Immigration Law Center
- National Head Start Association
- Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship
- Office of the District of Columbia Auditor
- Ownership Capital Lab
- Refugee Council (RCUSA)
- rPlus Energies
- St. Louis Integrated Health Network
- Virginia Department of Emergency Management
- Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions
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Interested in becoming a capstone client? Learn more here.
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From Capstone to Career: TSPPPA Alum Michael Jarrett Brings Students Into His Research |
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Michael Jarrett (MPP '14) reflects on his experience collaborating with TSPPPA students, now alumni, Adrianna LoBasso (MPA '25) and Samantha (Cotter) Marcotte (MPP '26), who joined his research team as assistants investigating the impact of rising energy costs on small and medium-sized businesses in Pennsylvania.
Read more about Michael's research, his experience working alongside Adrianna and Samantha, and how his TSPPPA capstone shaped his career path here.
Find a few highlights from the interview below:
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"The TSPPPA capstone project was one of the primary reasons I chose to attend GW for grad school. The blend of academic and real-world experience made sense to me and I thought it would not only make me more attractive to future employers, but actually allow me to apply the theories I learned in the classroom in a real-world setting."
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"When I was a TSPPPA student I was fresh out of undergrad and I remember the anxiety of trying to land my first internship or job with a resume that barely covered one page. When I was given the green light to build a research team I thought about this experience and saw an opportunity to help current students... My advice to my fellow alumni? Just do it!"
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TSPPPA Recent Grad, Azia Richardson-Williams, Received Writing in the Disciplines Distinguished Graduate Student Teaching Award |
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Azia Richardson-Williams (MPA '26) received the Writing in the Disciplines Distinguished Graduate Student Teaching Award at the GW Faculty Honors ceremony. Congratulations!
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