As we reach the end of the 2024–2025 academic year, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of you—students, faculty, and staff—for your hard work, resilience, and commitment to public service and academic excellence. We’ve come through another remarkable year together, and it’s time to celebrate our collective accomplishments.

This season also brings moments of farewell. We send our congratulations and best wishes to our graduating students as they embark on new chapters in their professional and academic journeys. We also bid a fond farewell to two esteemed faculty members—Dr. Phil Cooper and Dr. Jack Corbett—who are retiring after many years of dedicated service. Their scholarship, mentorship, and leadership have left a lasting mark on the Hatfield School and the many students whose lives they’ve touched. We thank them for their deep contributions and wish them the very best in the next chapter.

This issue highlights the successful Public Service Recognition Event held in May during National Public Service Recognition Week. It was a powerful gathering that showcased the incredible work being done by our students, faculty, and community partners. I’m grateful to everyone who helped make the event a meaningful celebration of the values we hold dear.

Thank you all for being part of this vibrant and mission-driven community. I hope the summer brings you time for rest, reflection, and renewed energy as we look ahead to the coming year.

Warm regards,
Masami Nishishiba
Director, Mark O. Hatfield School of Government

On May 7, the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University hosted the 2025 Public Service Recognition Event, a night dedicated to celebrating the impact and values of public service.

The event featured a powerful panel discussion titled “Strengthening the Roots,” with distinguished voices including Ellen Rosenblum, Ron Silver, David Yaden, Peter Newbegin, Karina Guzmán-Ortiz, and JT Flowers with the discussion facilitated by Wendy Willis, Director of the Oregon Kitchen Table at the National Policy Consensus Center. Their diverse perspectives fostered a rich and engaging dialogue on the future of civic leadership. The evening also featured a stirring performance by Professor Ethan Sperry and the PSU Choir, setting an inspiring tone for the gathering.

PSU extends its heartfelt thanks to all who attended and contributed to this memorable celebration of service.

This Spring, the Nonprofit Institute awarded the Professional Certificate in Program Evaluation to a cohort of 24 public sector professionals from across the country. This program, which ran from January-May 2025, is meant to build capacity in organizations as participants learn the intricacies of conducting culturally responsive and equitable program evaluation that center the voices of the communities they serve. The program culminated in the participants creating their own evaluation project where they applied their knowledge to a real world program and is a virtual, online program, with options to attend synchronously as well as asynchronously.

For over a decade, the Center for Public Service (CPS) has hosted public service professionals from the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) for a year-long program centered on civic leadership, cross-cultural exchange, and applied research. The 2025 Fellows, Yonghee Han and Yubin Kim, explored big data in urban problem-solving and cultural policy in metropolitan museums, engaging with local agencies like the City of Portland and Portland Art Museum.

CPS also welcomed Mr. Ken Hyodo, a visiting scholar from Japan’s Supreme Court, who studied U.S. electronic warrant systems to inform judicial reforms in Japan. His research focused on digital transformation and institutional efficiency.

All three scholars praised Portland’s collaborative civic culture. These exchanges highlight CPS’s commitment to global public service education and innovation.

As he transitions into retirement, Dr. Phillip Cooper reflects on his decades-long impact at Portland State University’s Hatfield School of Government. A nationally recognized scholar and the first Douglas & Candace Morgan Professor of Local Government, Dr. Cooper helped build one of the country’s strongest local government programs and championed values-driven public service education. His interdisciplinary scholarship, dedication to accessible knowledge, and passion for connecting theory to practice continue to inspire students, faculty, and practitioners alike.

Read more about his thoughts on his new journey - it will inspire you!

A scholar of comparative politics and immersive education, Corbett has led hundreds of students into fieldwork across Mexico and Canada, challenging them to ask better questions, not just find answers. From his first experience translating in an Iranian bazaar to his current sabbatical revisiting dissertation research in rural Mexico, Corbett has dedicated his career to complexity, cultural understanding, and service. “Retirement is for someone with nothing left to do,” he says. “I’m a long way from that.”

Read more about his reflections and thoughts about all this - it will make you smile!

Dr. Craig Shinn, Emeritus Professor who served as a Doctoral program director for a long time before his retirement, reflects on decades of guiding doctoral students through practice-grounded research. In an emotional interview, Dr. Shinn shares stories of transformative dissertations, interdisciplinary impact, and the deep fulfillment he found in helping scholars turn real-world challenges into academic contributions. “It’s been a remarkable ride,” he says.

Read more about his legacy and vision for the future of public service education at PSU - it is very hopeful!

Congratulations to our five doctoral students who successfully defended their dissertations this academic year! 

Dr.  Andrew Russo -  “Navigating the Neoliberal Assemblage: The Role of Nonprofits Shaping Disaster Governance and Disaster Resilience.”

Dr. Brandon Fielding - “The Moderating Effect of Family Cohesion on The Interaction Between Trauma, Deservingness Attitudes, and Social Policy Generosity.”

Dr. Christopher Page - “Institutions, Indigenous Populations, and the Structure of Power in Natural Resource Governance.”

Dr. Joseph (Yossi) Haimberg - “The Prediction of Nonprofits Financial Vulnerability To ‘Death’ Using Financial and Investment Ratios.”

Dr. Kelly Sherbo - “Special District Use of Collaborative Governance in Service Delivery.”

Dr. Nariyo Kono Co-Organizes Community-Based Learning Workshops in Japan

Dr. Nariyo Kono, Senior Fellow and Adjunct Assistant Professor, recently co-organized and participated in a series of workshops for educators teaching community-based learning courses in Japan. Held at Reitaku University in Chiba (March 22) and Ritsumei University in Osaka (March 24), the workshops brought together faculty dedicated to advancing community-engaged pedagogy. In the morning sessions, Dr. Kono co-facilitated faculty retreats alongside Celine Fitzmaurice from the University Studies (UNST) program. The afternoon sessions featured a pilot study led by Dr. Kono for an international collaborative research project exploring reflective practices among instructors of community-engaged learning. She conducted the study in partnership with three Japanese researchers, marking a significant step in cross-cultural academic collaboration.

Dr. Elif Sari Genc Publishes New Article and Advances Fieldwork in Turkey

Dr. Elif Sari Genc, alumna of the Public Affairs and Policy program at Portland State University and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and Global Affairs, recently published a new article in Politics & Gender. Titled “Symbolic Leverage: Nominating (Non)Veiled Women as an Electoral Competition Strategy in Polarized Turkey,” the piece marks the first publication drawn from her dissertation research and is now available in Open Access as a First View. 

In addition to this publication milestone, Dr. Sari Genc recently completed a productive round of follow-up fieldwork in Turkey, contributing vital insights to her ongoing book project, which expands upon the findings of her article. While in Turkey, she also taught Comparative Women’s Leadership and Representation at Özyeğin University, where she enjoyed rich dialogue with students and the opportunity to blend academic theory with field-based experience.

Hanan Alsadi Receives Renewable Energy Scholarship Foundation Award

Congratulations to Hanan Alsadi, a third-year Ph.D. student in Public Affairs and Policy at Portland State University, for receiving a prestigious scholarship from the Renewable Energy Scholarship Foundation. Hanan’s research centers on the intersection of water, energy, and food security in countries with high per capita carbon emissions, particularly those relying on energy-intensive desalination. With a focus on the Arabian Gulf region, she is exploring sustainable pathways—especially solar energy integration—for achieving environmental targets in desalination practices. Hanan holds a Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree from Qatar University. Her dedication to advancing energy and climate policy continues to drive meaningful impact in the field.

Debra Porta (Bachelor's in Political Science & Master's in Public Administration) didn’t expect her return to school at age 36 to lead her to the helm of one of Oregon’s most impactful LGBTQIA2S+ organizations. Now Executive Director of Pride Northwest, Porta reflects on her journey from community college to the Hatfield School of Government, where PSU’s nonprofit management program helped shape her commitment to ethical leadership and community-first values. In our latest interview, she shares how activism, education, and lived experience intertwined—and why Pride is much more than a parade. 

The Public Service Fellowships program matching process for the 2025-26 Talent Bank is now live! We currently have 35 candidates for the Hatfield Resident Fellows program and 25 candidates for the Oregon Summer Fellows program.

This is what Isaiah Henry, a Hatfield Fellow that is working on Ombudsman Report, had to say about the program, "I’m thankful and proud to have been apart of this investigation by the Ombudsman office looking into fire code violations associated with the low-income Habitat for Humanity that stem from negligence in the planning and development phase. As of today Portland Fire and Habitat for Humanity will be hosting a town hall to allow residents to voice grievances, and find a positive way forward for all parties."

We are actively seeking additional sponsors to help us place these talented individuals in meaningful projects. These fellows provide crucial capacity to agencies and offer valuable expertise in areas like research, policy analysis, and community engagement. You can view past project briefs and take a look through this year's talent bank, and then complete the sponsor application. For questions, or to discuss a potential project, please contact psfellows@pdx.edu

The National Policy Consensus Center has two new team members! Please join us in welcoming them.

Erin Harms (she/her), Oregon Consensus Project Associate 

Erin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy from The Evergreen State College and a Master of Science in Conflict Resolution from Portland State University, where she also earned a Graduate Certificate in Collaborative Governance and served as a Hatfield Resident Fellow. With more than a decade of experience spanning the nonprofit, public service, and higher education sectors, Erin has developed a strong foundation in project management, facilitation, and consensus-building. A multi-generational Oregonian, Erin comes from a rural farming family and resides on their farm nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley. Her deep-rooted connection to the land and Oregon’s local communities informs her approach to conflict work, emphasizing the importance of inclusive dialogue, shared stewardship, and pragmatic problem-solving. 

Caroline Phillips (she/her), Communications and Special Projects Manager

Caroline is a seasoned communications professional with almost a decade of experience across a variety of industries. Most recently, she led the communications efforts for the 2024 statewide ballot measure campaign, Measure 117, which would have established ranked choice voting for statewide and federal elections in Oregon. She also supported communications efforts for the successful 2022 Portland ballot measure campaign that reformed the city government. Through her campaign work, she grew passionate about coalition-building and creating organizational frameworks where communities always have a seat at the table. In her free time, Caroline loves traveling and exploring all that Oregon has to offer whenever she can.