Happy New Year, and welcome to the January 2026 issue of Hatfield Highlights.

We began the year by gathering for our New Year’s Social—bringing together students, alumni, faculty, staff, partners, and friends to celebrate our shared commitment to public service. At a time when higher education continues to face change and uncertainty, this gathering was a powerful reminder that the strength of the Hatfield School lies in our people and our mission.

This issue highlights that mission in action. You’ll read about the Center for Public Service’s Public Service Fellowships, the National Policy Consensus Center’s Civic Leadership Academies across Oregon, and the accomplishments of MPA alumni who are advancing equity, collaboration, and community impact through their work. Together, these stories reflect how the Hatfield School connects scholarship, practice, and public service in meaningful ways.

Looking ahead to 2026, we have much to anticipate, including the Hatfield Speaker Series this spring, our Public Service Recognition event in May, the Civil Rights Tour on July 12, Senator Hatfield’s birthday, and welcome high school students from across the state to campus through the Hatfield Futures program. I hope you will join us throughout the year as we learn, reflect, and work together to strengthen democratic governance and public service.

Thank you for being part of the Hatfield School community.

Warm regards,
Masami Nishishiba
Director, Hatfield School of Government

The Hatfield School of Government celebrated the start of the new year with its New Year’s Social event last Thursday, January 15! Staff, faculty, students, community partners and alumni came together to reflect on last year’s accomplishments and welcomed the year ahead. Director Masami Nishishiba  and Portland State University President Ann Cudd offered opening remarks  emphasizing the importance of the Hatfield School’s mission and the vital role  of public service. 

The group also celebrated Emeritus Professor Dr. Doug Morgan’s birthday with cheers and birthday cake. Dr. Morgan is one of the principal funders who established the Morgan-Ellis Family Endowment which supports the Hatfield School’s work in community-centered education, scholarship, and governance.

The evening was a warm and joyful reminder of the strong community that sustains and advances the Hatfield School’s mission.

Thank you to all who attended!

The Center for Public Service (CPS) is recruiting new sponsors for the Public Service Fellowship program. The primary goal of the program is to connect exceptional recent and current graduate students with a passion for public service directly with agencies that advance this work. In 2025, the Public Service Fellowships program placed 2 Oregon Summer Fellows and 9 Hatfield Resident Fellows. Fellows consult on projects with agencies across Oregon, including the League of Oregon Cities, the City of Portland, Oregon Health Authority, Washington County, and the Rural Development Initiative.

CPS is currently seeking sponsors for the 2026 program year! Fellows are equipped to assist agencies in many ways, including research, project management, and community outreach, among many others. If you are interested in learning more about how a Public Service Fellow can support your agency, please reach out to the Public Service Fellowship program at psfellows@pdx.edu.

The City of Albany and the City of Hillsboro both celebrated the conclusion of their Civic Leadership Academy programs this fall. 

The Civic Leadership Academies are part of the National Policy Consensus Center (NPCC), in which we partner with a local city to help foster new civic leaders. The six-week program produces new civic leaders who gain skills in collaborative problem-solving and working together. During the program, each cohort works on a real-world problem the city is addressing. In Albany, the 2025 cohort examined ways to improve youth engagement across the city. In Hillsboro,  participants worked together to design options for a new city flag. 

In addition to Albany and Hillsboro, the Civic Leadership Academy also has programs in Hermiston,  Cornelius, and Sisters – and we’re looking to grow even further in 2026. If you work with a local government who may be interested in partnering with us, or want to learn more information about the Civic Leadership Academy, email Kristen Wright at kristen.wright@pdx.edu. 

The Hatfield School of Government  has been ranked #16 nationally in Urban Policy by US News and World Report for 2025 and #61 overall in Best Public Affairs Programs. These rankings reflect Portland State University’s urban mission and the Hatfield School’s central role in advancing it —   serving as a bridge between the university and the community  partnering with with local and regional organizations to address complex real-world public challenges and engaging students in hands-on, placed-based learning.  Through applied research, collaborative problem-solving, and community-engaged education, the Hatfield School prepares the next generation of public servants while contributing meaningful policy solutions that strengthen our cities and communities. 

Jacen Greene joins the National Policy Consensus Center (NPCC) as Finance and Operations Director. In previous roles at PSU, he co-founded and served as Assistant Director of the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative, taught social entrepreneurship courses, and led the Impact Entrepreneurs program and Social Innovation Certificate.

Jacen has written two books, published numerous papers and case studies, and delivered social entrepreneurship talks and workshops around the world. He enjoys all kinds of outdoor activities, in any season, with his wife and four daughters. Jacen graduated Beta Gamma Sigma with an M.B.A. in sustainability from Portland State University, and magna cum laude with a B.A. in China Studies from Willamette University. Welcome Jacen! 

Carla Gonzalez (MPA ‘25) is the Executive Director of Pueblo Unido, a nonprofit organization that connects community members to immigration legal services, social support, and provides Indigenous language interpretation services. Carla joined the organization in 2021 as an intern helping community members access rental services.

Her advocacy and passion for immigrant rights brought her to Pueblo Unido. Today her work focuses on high-level planning for programs, policies, budgets, and sustainable growth of the organization; supporting staff; overseeing human resources and leading fundraising efforts. 

What do you remember about your time at PSU? "I learned how nonprofits function as mission-driven organizations while operating with real constraints. Courses on contract management/leadership offered insights on working with funders while staying true to organizational values."  As the need for immigration services grows, Carla brings lessons learned from her career and PSU to lead the organization in ensuring immigrant communities are supported and protected.

In September 2025, Jewel Mone (MPA ‘25) received a volunteer award from Multnomah County for her work on community engagement with the Department of County Human Services. Using lessons from her career and the classroom, Jewel created meaningful engagement strategies for the department’s advisory councils. 

During her acceptance speech, Jewel spoke about how volunteering with the county was a way for her to give back to the community. She said that the experience reminds her of “the power of small contributions which together create meaningful changes”.

What do you remember about your time at PSU? "I appreciate how integrated the campus is with the city and community. Many of myr professors are practitioners in their field, which brings meaningful experience and community connections."  In the future, Jewel hopes to continue to empower and support local administrators in conducting meaningful community engagement. Congratulations Jewel!

Hatfield Futures, a program of Oregon’s Kitchen Table housed within the National Policy Consensus Center (NPCC), is now accepting applications for high-school students across Oregon to attend a week-long summer camp at PSU. Using the year 2050 to spark our collective imagination, teams work together to envision Oregon’s future and generate proposals to address important social, environmental, and economic issues. Last year, students came to PSU from across Oregon, including Estacada, Corvallis, Helix/Pendleton, Bend, Tigard, Paisley, Gresham, Ashland, Eugene and Portland.

2026 Camp Dates: July 5 - July 11 at Portland State University

2026 Showcase: Saturday, July 11

Please share the application and flyer widely with anyone you may know who would be interested or an organization that works with high school students. We especially would love your support outreaching to rural communities across the state. 

P.S. If you’re interested in supporting Hatfield Futures as a workshop leader, team guide, or sponsor, reach out to Nina Pamintuan at ninapami@pdx.edu. 

The Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs is a graduate student-led academic journal of the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government in the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University. The journal features faculty, practitioner, and graduate student submissions that explore a range of public affairs issues. Papers related to public administration and policy, politics and global affairs, urban studies and planning, criminal justice, social work,  and health systems and policy are all welcome!

The Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs has extended the deadline to submit your work for publication! The new submission deadline is January 31, 2026. Submissions can be made at https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/hgjpa/.

Check out Hatfield School's graduate programs below! Each program equips students to face challenges head-on and effect real change. Application deadlines are coming up soon!

Support the Hatfield School of Government today to prepare students for community leadership and to promote change in our community.