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Celebrating Trachtenberg: Reflections from Director Newcomer
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Reflections from Director Newcomer
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As Director of the Trachtenberg School, I especially enjoy seeing our faculty and alumni having an impressive impact on policy and management at the local level of government. We are located in the middle of a region in which some of the most innovative local governments in the country are leaders in a variety of areas (e.g. Montgomery County in Maryland, and Fairfax and Loudon Counties in Virginia). And we reside in the District of Columbia, which faces very unique challenges in governance. These local governments provide internships and job opportunities for students, and intriguing research puzzles for faculty.
One of our senior faculty, Leah Brooks, leads our Center for Washington Area Studies, and has been undertaking groundbreaking research on several aspects of urban living. Her current work includes how and why retail firms cluster, and whether the institutional differences implicit in condominium housing make such housing appreciate less over the long run. Her work, Infrastructure Costs, with Zach Liscow was the first to clearly document and analyze the drivers of extraordinary increases in the cost of building US infrastructure over the second half of the twentieth century. This work- along with an extensive literature documenting how regulatory barriers increase housing costs and documentation that US public transit construction costs multiplies of what it does in Europe- has formed the intellectual backbone for an emerging critique of the new relationship between government and citizens that formed in the 1970s. Leah is frequently interviewed on NPR's Market Place- one of my favorite radio listens on my drive home!
Our MPA and MPP alumni are now leading budget offices in many of our local governments (they learn in our classes about the key roles of those offices!), and they serve in many other key roles- such a Clark Mercer, the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Our extensive network of alumni in these local governments have been extremely helpful in opening doors for our students. Please read about some of them below.
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Dean's Conversation Series: Brooks Speaks on Reaching for the Stars- Big Equipment for Big Science
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Dean Wahlbeck, L. Brooks, A van der Horst, N. White
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Leah Brooks spoke in the Dean's Conversation Series on November 19. Physics faculty members discussed the incredible images of space made by large instruments, such as the James Webb Telescope. Dr. Brooks helped explain the underlying economics- why government funds basic science, how society might benefit, and why costs for these projects are rising.
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Public Servants Honored at Flemming Awards, Nicolaysen Awarded NAPA Herbert Roback Award
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President Granberg w/ Award Winners, sponsors, and guests, inc. Dean Wahlbeck and Tberg Director Kathy Newcomer
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M. Nicolaysen and J. Bartle
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On November 2, twelve public servants from a number of federal agencies were honored at the 76th annual Arthur S. Flemming Awards for their exceptional service across applied science, basic science, leadership and social science. The awards, which recognize employees with three to 15 years of federal service, are the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor for government service from outside the government. The awards were presented by the Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission in partnership with the Trachtenberg School and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) during NAPA's annual conference in Washington, DC. Read more→
This week, Tberg student Maren Nicolaysen was also awarded NAPA's Herbert Roback Award which honors talented students who are considering careers in public service.
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Food and Agricultural Policy Summit Brings Together Changemakers from Across the Food Landscape
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D. Nierenberg and J. Andrés
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On October 28 the Global Food Institute cohosted its first annual Food and Agriculture Policy Summit with chef, humanitarian and author José Andrés. The conference welcomed three members of Congress, policymakers, researchers, advocates and experts to explore what better food systems would look like and practical actionable steps toward building them. Read more→
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Trachtenberg Alumni Engaged in Local Government
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Megan Bourke (MPP '10) is a local government leader with almost two decades of experience in budgeting, long-term financial planning, and performance. As the director of the Office of Management and Budget for Loudoun Country, Virginia, Bourke oversees the development and execution of a $3 billion general fund and a $3.5 billion, six-year capital budget. Most recently, Bourke and her team have been on the forefront of preparing the organization from transitioning from one of the fastest growing counties in the country to a more stabilized growth in both poulation and revenue, utilizing performance measures and service level definitions to prioritize programs and resources. This effort was recently reported on by the Government Finance Officers Association in the February 2024 edition of Government Finance Review. Bourke previously worked for Chesterfield County, Virginia, the US Government Accountability Office, and the Village of Downers Grove, Illinois. Says Megan about her Tberg experience, "Megan still thinks fondly of her time at TSPPPA when she served as the vice president in the Trachtenberg Student Organization, which formed the beginnings of her professional network in the DC region."
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Clark Mercer (MPP '05), a Trachtenberg grad and proud member of the championship Tberg football team, the Policy Punishers, worked in the DC area after graduation for LMI Consulting, Senator Mark Warner, and the Commission on Wartime Contracting. Active in local and state government in Virginia, Clark and his family moved to Richmond, VA in 2011, where he served as Chief of Staff to Governor Ralph Northam for eight years. During that time, Virginia was named the best state for business by CNBC a record three times in a row, and legislation was passed and signed by the Governor to raise the minimum wage for the first time in over a generation, expand Medicaid, and abolish the death penalty.
In 2022, Clark returned to the region and now serves as the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), a nonprofit consortium of 24 local governments. COG's 130-person staff works on a variety of regional policy issues, including transportation planning, homeland security and public safety, clean air and water, housing, and economic development. Clark has been named to the Washington Business Journal's Top 100 for the past three years- an annual list of the most influential business leaders in Greater Washington. Clark lives with his wife, Kelly Thomasson, the former Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and his children, Everett and Cecililia, in Alexandria. Clark credits his time at Trachtenberg for preparing him for a career in policy and government: "We would be far better off with more policy and administration graduates guiding decision-making for public officials. I made lifelong friends at GW, developed skills to work with elected officeholders, and, because of Trachtenberg, have a sound understanding of how to arrive at, and evaluate, policy options."
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On December 5 at 10:45am, Tberg will host Rebecca Johnson to speak on Using Text as Data to Understand Treatments: The Case of a Randomized Controlled Trial of College Navigators in Public Housing. Register→
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We are thrilled to announce our upcoming Capstone Expo and Celebration of Joe Cordes' 50 years of service! This event is a celebration of hard work, innovation, and transormative projects this semester and over the decades. Mark your calendars for December 12 at 5pm. Register→
The Trachtenberg School is also calling for Spring 2025 capstone clients! Does your employer want assistance on a substantial analytical project? For over twenty years, our capstone graduate student teams have completed pro-bono projects for external clients as their final master's degree requirement. To learn more about how your employer could be a Trachtenberg capstone client during the spring semester, visit our website and contact Kate Rosa at katerosa@gwu.edu to discuss next steps.
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On January 19, from 10am-4pm, join the Trachtenberg Chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha (PAA) for a meaningful day of community engagement at the GW MLK Day of Service. To register for the Trachtenberg group, enter "Pi Alpha Alpha" in the box that says, "name of your group," and select "on-campus" as location preference. Register here by December 19→
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With Washington, DC as our backyard, the Trachtenberg School is deeply connected to the community, both inside and outside of the classroom. From policy briefings, to nonprofit site visits, our students and faculty are actively engaged across the city. In this issue, we explore some of the Tberg activity happening around town.
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On November 13, Trachtenberg School alum Dr. Maxine Somerville (MPA), Chief People and Culture Officer for the National Audobon Society organized a fascinating employer briefing for Tberg students and alumni. Joel Beauvais, Managing Director, North America, shared critical insights into their advocacy, organization, and impact.
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Federal News Network noted the opening of the annual Grants Management Survey, which is overseen by the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, in the Federal Newscast.
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