|
|
Celebrating Trachtenberg: Reflections from Director Newcomer
| |
As Director of Trachtenberg School, one of the highlights of my job is working with my distinguished colleagues who are making such a difference in the world, and I take great pride in their accomplishments. Last month we celebrated our Shapiro Professor of Public Policy and Public Administration Sanjay Pandey. This month, I'm proud to showcase the accomplishments of Distinguished Professor of Practice, Public Policy and Public Administration, Susan Dudley. Dr. Susan Dudley is a source of wisdom and inspiration to policymakers as well as her colleagues and students within the Trachtenberg School on all things regulation. She is a former OIRA Administrator (“regulation czar”) in the federal government, and one of the top international experts on regulation, and importantly, she brings together regulatory scholars and practitioners from both sides of the aisle. See her providing invited testimony to the Senate on the impact of the Loper Decision in July. Since establishing the Regulatory Studies Center in the Trachtenberg School 16 years ago, Susan and the Regulatory Studies faculty and student team, now led by Roger Nober, have provided valuable and timely information weekly to all via the Regulation Digest, offered excellent coursework to our students in her Regulatory Comment Clinic, and provided superb training for aides in Congress so that they can better understand regulatory policy making. The vast number of scholarly and trade publications produced by the Center fellows and scholars has provided much-needed input into the regulatory policy-making space. Thanks to the Center, the Trachtenberg School is unique in offering students a Regulatory Policy field of concentration and a new certificate in Regulatory Policy and Practice.
Susan regularly provides insights and timely appraisals in her columns in Forbes and the Wall Street Journal, and frequently co-authors columns and opinion pieces with former OIRA administrators from every administration since Clinton. Her nonpartisan and informed appraisals about regulatory policymaking have made her an icon in this policy arena.
Dr. Kathy Newcomer
Trachtenberg School Director
| |
The Future is Loper Bright: Congress's Role in the Regulatory Landscape
| |
Regulatory Studies Center founder and Trachtenberg School Professor Susan Dudley testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs regulatory affairs subcommitee on changes to Congress's role in the regulatory landscape in light of recent Supreme Court decisions. For our policy analysts and grad students in attendance, it was a special opportunity to witness policymaking firsthand (and talk with Subcommitee Chair Senator James Lankford). Read her testimony here →
| |
Trachtenberg's Regulatory Studies Center: Around Town this Summer
| |
Trachtenberg's Regulatory Studies Center (RSC) has been busy this summer! On July 8, RSC and Norm AI hosted a public forum on the potential for artificial intelligence to make government regulations more efficient and effective. CFTC Commissioner Kristin N. Johnson shared insights on managing the potential and the risks of AI in financial services and market supervision. Read her remarks →
RSC continued its seminar series with a third session at the US Capitol on July 29. Professors Steven Balla, Joe Cordes, and Susan Dudley presented an overview of the Administrative Procedure Act, public commenting, Regulatory Impact Analysis, and current issues in federal agency rulemaking and oversight. The session built on concepts introduced at our previous seminars in March and April, also held at the Capitol. The series has been a valuable opportunity for the Center to engage with legislative staff at a time when regulatory process and administrative law are more relevant than ever for the public interest.
| |
Brooks Awarded Grants on Urban Policy, Showcasing Trachtenberg's Expertise
| |
This spring, Professor Leah Brooks was awarded two major research grants. The Russell Sage Foundation is funding her work on whether condominiums may be part of the solution to high housing prices in the US, and under what conditions condominiums are likely to remain financially successful. With funding from Arnold Ventures, she is evaluating whether, over the past century, legislators have changed how they require citizens to interact with the federal government. Some recent work argues that increased citizen participation, particularly the type of participation that yields many new veto points, may increase the cost of public projects, or even private projects that require public approval. She is studying legislator behavior by analyzing the last century of US statutes via a Large Language Model.
Brooks's work is tied to the urban policy field of study available in our Master’s programs. This concentration focuses on the unique challenges and opportunities within metropolitan areas. Students explore policies related to land use, mass transportation, poverty, inequality, unemployment, homelessness, racial and ethnic tensions, crime, and urban sprawl—ultimately examining what makes urban areas succeed or struggle. With approval, students can supplement their coursework with classes in related disciplines to further customize their studies.
| |
Welcome New Professors to the Trachtenberg School
| |
Dr. Jill Davis joins us as the Amsterdam Assistant Professor of Public Policy. She studies public policy and management, implementation science, and the intersection of public health and public safety with a focus on structural inequalities. Her current research examines law enforcement organizations, including issues related to race, gender, stigma, officer health, and police reform. Dr. Davis recently completed her PhD in Public Affairs from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, and she holds a master’s degree in Gender and Social Policy from The London School of Economics and Political Science.
| |
Dr. Michael LaForest-Tucker joins us as the Amsterdam Assistant Professor of Public Policy. His research focuses on criminal justice, education, and military personnel policy, and has recently been published in Nature, the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, and the Journal of Human Capital, among others. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Virginia and a BS in economics & political science from the University of Michigan.
| |
Rosa Maria Castañeda Leads as Founder of THE 2045 PROJECT
| |
One of Trachtenberg's 2025-26 Executives in Residence, Rosa Maria Castaneda, is a strategic philanthropic leader with over two decades of experience advancing racial equity and economic opportunity. As the Founder and Managing Director of THE 2045 PROJECT, Castaneda is examining the critical gap between the size and influence of America's Latino community and the philanthropic investment if receives. Working alongside data scientists, leading scholars, as well as influential civic, political, and philanthropic figures, THE 2045 PROJECT takes an evidence-based, non-partisan approach to identifying high-potential areas for philanthropic investment that can strengthen Latino civic and political engagement infrastructure and economic mobility.
A former child refugee to the United States, Castaneda brings lived experience and unwavering commitment to reimagining philanthropy's role in building a just, multiracial democracy.
| |
Trachtenberg Student Wins Herbert Roback Scholarship Award for the Second Year in a Row
| |
Student Maren Nicolaysen, pursuing her MPA at Trachtenberg, won the Herbert Roback Scholarship Award. The award, named for a highly respected public servant, is for students pursuing lifetime careers in public service. Through her current position at the DOJ Office of the Inspector General, and past work at the U.S. Department of State and on Capitol Hill, her experience spans federal policy research, local government advocacy, and initiatives addressing social equity, food insecurity, and political polarization. Nicolaysen will receive the award at the upcoming NAPA conference.
| |
Inaugural Trachtenberg Conversation on Campus
| |
President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg kicked off Trachtenberg Conversations this week. Faculty, students, alumni, and staff joined President Trachtenberg for a conversation about his tenure at GW, the university today, as well as the current state of higher education. This ongoing series engages scholars, student leaders, and distinguished alumni in conversation and connection.
| |
Stephanie Cellini was quoted in Washington Monthly from comments made in Inside Higher Ed by Stephanie Cellini, professor of public policy and public administration and of economics, in the article “Trump’s Vocational Education Con,’’ by Bill Scher.
Robert Weiner was interviewed by Nexstar Media about the effect of the current Iran conflict on oil prices and international oil trade.
| |
|
|
|
|
