GWIPP SEPTEMBER 2006 NEWSLETTER
Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.
-- Sandra Day O'ConnorContents:
GWIPP Goes Back to School
Kristen Waters, MPP ’07 Social Policy
Welcome to a new school year with the Graduate Women in Public Policy (GWIPP). GWIPP has long been active in promoting the representation of women within the Maryland School of Public Policy and creating opportunities -- both professional and social -- for the benefit of current and former students. Covering the broad range of our diverse policy interests, we organize panels, attend conferences, and shadow female political and policy leaders. Our potlucks and happy hours offer opportunities to network with and get advice from our alumnae and to build community between and within classes. This year’s incoming class added nearly another 100 students to the policy program, and we’re pleased to welcome so many passionate and engaged female leaders to the school. It’s time for everyone to get involved in charting a course for GWIPP’s ‘06-‘07 school year.
To get a jump start on the year, we put our heads together over the summer to think about how to improve the GWIPP newsletter. In October, we’ll introduce a new column by Carolyn Chuhta about happenings on the Hill and Shirley Hsieh will write the first in a series of agency spotlights. We also developed an exciting list of topics we’ll cover in upcoming newsletters. (See: "Got Something to Say?") If any of these issues resonate with your personal or professional experience, we’d love to have your contributions. Email me at kwaters[at]aecf.org to sign up to write for or be interviewed for the newsletter.
We’ve been doing our best to welcome in the new students by offering our first buddy program that matches first year students with returning students. We have twenty people participating in the program and expect to see these buddies at our upcoming meetings, events, and potlucks. Meanwhile, our alumnae co-coordinators, Jackie Nowicki and Catherine Albornoz, have been finding ways to keep our alum friends informed and involved. The September 13th happy hour should be just the first in a series of get-togethers targeted at alums. Email Jackie (NowickiJ[at]gao.gov) or Catherine (catherine_albornoz[at]yahoo.com) to get added to the GWIPP alumnae list serve and encourage your friends to do the same!
In this newsletter, we’re extending our congratulations to all of the recent graduates in the class of 2006 (many of whom for the first time in at least two years are not heading back to school this fall)! Check out graduation speaker and former GWIPP officer Catherine Albornoz’s graduation speech. We’re also celebrating the hard work and fun GWIPP members had in their summer jobs and jaunts. Read about how these writers found their cool gigs, what they were asked to do, and what they took away from these experiences.
Speaking of cool (okay, make that really, really cold) summer experiences, former GWIPP treasurer Libby Bixby Skolnik and her husband Benjamin Skolnik recently shared slides and stories of their 1,000 mile Arctic trip with family members and friends from the Policy School and GWIPP. We vicariously experienced the brave couple’s alternative honeymoon: 4 people and 1 dog traveling for 43 days on a treacherous Alaskan highway and up the Ross and Anderson Rivers, out to the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean. Near continuous sunlight set the stage for stunning photography of clear, blue waters, Alaskan creatures, and smiling adventurers. (They promise to get the slide show up on their website, www.nofalling.com, soon!) A year’s worth of planning and investment in top quality equipment came in handy as the group shot rapids and warded off omnipresent black flies and mosquitoes. The couple’s husky discovered her inner pack animal, protectively rounding up their group for dinner and even offering up the spoils of her new found love of hunting…to four less than enthusiastic vegetarians. It wasn’t all good times, as conditions sometimes left them wind bound or needing to portage around tough rapids and the group of four leaders engaged in lengthy deliberations about the next best step, but even rotten onions failed to curb this group’s optimism. Libby and Benjamin will soon depart for their next life adventure: two and half years working for the Peace Corps in Peru. We wish them well!
Libby Bixby Skolnik presenting her “Tales from the Trail” at the College Park REI on September 7, 2006.
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Policy Student Government Update
Sanjana Ahmad, MPP '07 Environmental Policy
Your friendly neighborhood Policy Student Government Association (PSGA) has been working away all summer. While students were relaxing by the beach or slaving away at a summer internship, we were making sure that the school would have a fun calendar of fall events to come back to. We kicked off the semester with a new student BBQ on August 26th. Attended by both current and incoming students, the BBQ was a great way to meet everyone before classes began on the 29th. For upcoming events: the famous PSGA Quiz Night is on Friday September 15th -- start brushing up on your trivia skills! Nominations for new half-year representatives begin on September 21st.
As an independent student organization, the PSGA is here for the MSPP student body and alums. We hope to build a vibrant student community through social and service events, student meetings, and regular contact with faculty, administration, and staff. Our first "Town Hall" meeting will be held on September 25th - students are encouraged to come and find out more about their PSGA as well as bring any concerns, comments, or suggestions they have about student life at MSPP.
Your PSGA Reps this year are...Co-Presidents: Meg Spearman & Russ Conklin, Secretary: Natalia Miteva, Treasurer: Elizabeth Vonhof, Graduate Student Government Representatives: Sanjana Ahmad & Ruby Marcelo, Social Chairs: Kate Howard & Debbie Lee, Service Chair: Nichole Lopez, Ex Officio: Kristen Waters, and Webmistress: Dana Coelho.
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Relief and Responsibility: May 2006 Graduation Speech
Catherine Albornoz, MPP '06 Social PolicyCatherine was the GWIPP Vice President for the 2005-2006 school year, and gave the student remarks at the May 2006 graduation. Catherine is now GWIPP Alumni Relations Co-Chair and works as Social Justice and Community Services Director at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in DC.
Thank you, Dean Fetter for that introduction.
Good morning. I am honored to represent my class on this exciting day, and want to join others in welcoming the Honorable Senator Sarbanes, the Deans of our school, professors, staff, fellow students, and our family and friends who join us here today. Thank you for celebrating with us.
What an exciting day this is – and one that I know that many of us have been awaiting – especially as we finished final papers and exams just a few days ago. Besides the relief that we feel in being finished with our studies, there is the sense of accomplishment that today we receive our Masters in Public Policy or Masters in Public Management or PhD. We come away from this experience with a real responsibility to use these skills to write, advocate for, and implement public policies that will make this region, state, or country a better place to live.
I can’t go any farther without thanking all who have helped us to get here today – starting with our friends and family who have supported us through especially busy times, have called us after an exam to find out how it went, and have listened to us talk about the policy issues or topics that we have been working on. Many are here today and others couldn’t be, but all are appreciated. Can we together show our thanks to family and friends who are here?
Thank you also to our professors who have challenged us, answered our questions, and encouraged us through these past years. And to the school’s administration for their leadership in continuing to grow the program and support us in our studies.
Our class is a group with a real diversity of experiences, interests, and professional backgrounds – but what we share is the ambition to make policies to address difficult issues – like global warming, poverty, affordable housing, international development, and national security among many others – as well as effective management of these systems. When I explained the Masters in Public Policy degree to my younger sister yesterday, she responded, “So it’s basically a bunch of people who want to help others?” That’s pretty true. We want to get at the root of these issues to make life better, safer, and more sustainable for society.
We take what we have learned here, and now are ready for the next step – whether we will continue working in places where we have worked up until now or will begin a new experience. My classmates will work for the federal government – for the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, the Social Security Administration, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the National Cancer Institute, and the U.S. Air Force. We will work for state governments, for the Maryland General Assembly and the State of Washington. We will work for the Montgomery County government. We will work for think tanks, like the Center for Strategic and International Studies. We will work for the private sector for IBM and Booz Allen Hamilton. We will work for nonprofit organizations including the League of Conservation Voters and the East of the River Community Development Corporation. We will be Peace Corps volunteers. Some will continue on for more education. And this is just a partial list. Through our work, we will have different ways to affect policymaking and I am confident that we will give our best.
We are ready. We take the theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and networks that we have gained here, as well as the opportunities that we have had - and we will apply them in our work. Thanks to our professors, we know how to write sharp policy memos; we have learned management and leadership skills; we have hopefully learned statistics, economics, and finance, perhaps accounting or budgeting, and have studied within our specializations – be it Management, Finance, and Leadership, Environmental Policy, Social Policy, or International Security and Economic Policy.
As people trained with the skills to lead change in these areas, we have a real responsibility. I think of the people who need us to work towards equitable and effective policies.
In my work this year at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in downtown D.C., where I meet many homeless adults and low-income families who are affected by both good and bad policies – the importance of effective policymaking has been clear. I work with low-income families who receive public assistance through food stamps, Medicaid, and maybe a housing choice voucher, but who have a hard time making ends meet to pay for their family’s expenses. Some are immigrants, who have come to the US to make a better life for themselves, because of international issues of war or economic situations in their home countries. They face public bureaucracies to get what they need, which often are not managed effectively. They live in unsuitable environments. And because most are marginalized within society, we must both speak for them and help them to speak for themselves.
This is just my own experience – I know that many others have had similar ones that have drawn us to this work – and into whichever specialization has been our focus.
My only message today, which comes from conversations with classmates, is that this is a very talented group of professionals graduating today. And we cannot become complacent about these issues – but must use our skills and passion for the benefit of our communities, our nation, and the international arena. I am looking forward to hearing the great things that this group will accomplish. Let’s get started!
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Dialog and Deliberation Group Benefits From MSPP Student’s Expertise
Kate Howard, MPP '07 MFL & Social Policy
This summer, I had two jobs, both of which I got as a result of my professional network. My primary job was as the Manager of the National Conference for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD), which was held in San Francisco in August. Before coming to the Maryland School of Public Policy, I managed facilitation and civic engagement programs for the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center. In this capacity, I attended the first two NCDD Conferences (in 2002 and 2004), where I met both of the women with whom I worked this summer. This year I was invited to serve on the NCDD conference planning committee, and then in March, asked to take the position of Conference Manager, which I accepted.
As the NCDD Conference Manager, my role was quite broad. I managed a volunteer planning committee of 15, coordinated conference volunteers and vendors, oriented workshop presenters, and facilitated more conference calls than I care to remember. Primarily though, my job was to facilitate communication between all of the moving parts and people that were involved with the conference. Since our planning committee was spread throughout the US, and included members from India and Australia, we had to be creative in scheduling our work together, and most of it was done though email, conference calls, and a project management web application.
The Conference itself brought together more than 350 scholars and practitioners in the Dialogue and Deliberation fields to promote relationship building, shared learning, and exploration of key challenges. We had 44 workshops over the three-day period which ranged from a workshop about using Compassionate Listening to Public Involvement in Department of Defense Decision-Making. I was most excited about the presentations by the DOD and RJ Reynolds, because they were both groups who were newer to dialogue and deliberative processes.
As the conference manager, I didn't participate in as many of the sessions as I would have liked. Instead, my role involved peering into workshop rooms, eavesdropping on sessions and asking "Do you have everything you need? Can I help?" However, I noticed several key conversations that were very active throughout the conference, including:
- How can social media -- like blogs, wikis, photo sharing (like flickr) and other web-based tools -- support dialogue, deliberation and public engagement?
- How do we talk about our work in ways that are accessible and not alienating?
- What role can we play in reuniting America -- in bringing people together to deal with our most pressing common concerns?
One of the things I appreciate the most about my work in the dialogue and deliberation community is the fantastic group of people with whom I get to work. They are amazing, passionate people, working in domestic and international policy arenas, focusing on everything from race relations to environmental policy consensus to changing the civic culture of the US and the world. They are dedicated, thoughtful, and asking themselves the hard questions about their own blind spots, inclusion, political diversity, and the future of their work. I was honored to be asked to support this community, one of my professional homes, and proud of the work that was accomplished during this gathering.
For more information see: www.thataway.org.
Kate Howard (left) celebrates the end of the conference with members of the planning team.
Kate Howard (left) enjoys a conversation with conference volunteer, Sharda Miller.
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Maryland Municipal League Internships:
MSPP Students Discover Challenges and Rewards of Local Governance
Elizabeth Vonhof, MPP ’07 Environmental Policy
Erica Schmeckpeper, MPP ’07 Social Policy
For the second summer in a row, the Maryland Municipal League (MML) sponsored internships in D.C. area municipalities for two University of Maryland Public Policy students. Students submitted application in February, including an essay on their interest in local government. Erica Schmeckpeper was chosen to work in Laurel and Elizabeth Vonhof was chosen to work in Takoma Park.
Elizabeth Vonhof, City of Takoma Park
My internship at Takoma Park gave me the opportunity to interact not only with the City staff, but also with City residents, allowing me to really get a feel for the community. I worked on several major projects this summer, including developing a checklist and database the City could use to develop a property inventory. I then conducted a partial property inventory to identify vacant or severely neglected properties, as well as common problems that could eventually be used for grant requests. I also developed a draft multi-year management plan for one of the City’s recently acquired open space parks. This project gave me the opportunity to work with both City and County staff, and to learn about park management challenges, particularly invasive species. My final major project involved researching the park maintenance services Montgomery County provides, as well as the potential costs for these services with the goal of developing a new formula for use in the tax rebate from Montgomery County to the City. Both parks projects provided valuable insights into the environmental issues localities face.
While working at Takoma Park, I learned that “other duties as assigned” will be a very important part of any City staffer’s job description. I also learned how not only City policies, but also county, state, and federal policies will impact the decision making of a municipality…not to mention input from citizens! Most of all, this internship gave me great admiration for the hard work and dedication of Takoma Park staffers, elected officials, and residents to create a unique and wonderful community.
Erica Schmeckpeper, City of Laurel
Working for the City of Laurel gave me the opportunity to understand how government functions on the local level. It is much more time-consuming to run a town of 20,000 then I would have imagined! I was also surprised by the number of city workers who live in the city -- it was very obvious that city staff really cared about serving their home.
I worked on a number of different projects, with my two favorite projects giving me unique perspectives of Laurel. One project was to compile a picture inventory of all homes and businesses in Laurel’s Historic District. The project allowed me to get out of the office and walk the streets of Laurel and appreciate its Historic District. Another enjoyable project was evaluating existing voting wards as they relate to U.S. Census figures. The other projects on which I worked included analyzing the implications of House Bill 1141, which enacted a water resource element and a municipal growth element in all Maryland county and municipal comprehensive plans; writing text for the City’s website on the Flu Pandemic and US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team); and editing the City’s Emergency Operations Guide.
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Watchdogs of Summer: An Internship at the GAO
Marisa London, MPP ’07 Environmental PolicyI was one of four MSPP students to intern at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) this summer. The GAO is the “watchdog” arm of Congress, auditing federal programs to make sure they are achieving their stated aims efficiently and effectively. Their work covers the whole spectrum of policy issues, from defense contracting to Social Security to the election system. Sitting down to write this, I find it hard to translate the experience into words, but it suffices to say it was the best job I have had thus far. What drew me to the organization was their uncompromising dedication to unbiased program analysis. The recruiting materials are plastered with their slogan -- accountability, integrity, and reliability -- and it’s not just lip service. Their analysis and writing process is rigorous. Every word of every report is meticulously checked, then rechecked, to make sure it accurately reflects their findings. And though this might sound excruciating to some, and it was at times, it added a sense of pride to the job and the work that I produced.
The bulk of GAO’s work comes out of requests from Congressmen or committees to investigate a specific topic. Analysts are assigned to 2-4 person teams that spend 9-12 months working on one request. Interns are hired by a division, focused on an issue-area, and then placed on a project for the duration of the summer. The experience will differ greatly based upon the type of project one does, the stage it is in, and the division. I was hired by the Natural Resources and Environment division and placed on a request from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to investigate the solvency of private and public insurance programs in the face of climate change. Other interns in my department worked on nuclear energy, bird flu, and water quality permitting projects.
What made the summer truly remarkable was that interns are treated as analysts. I was never asked to make coffee, deliver a message, or pick up someone’s dry cleaning. Instead, I was given substantive tasks, all of which will be included in the final report. One of my jobs was to construct profiles of the costs of three major natural disasters -- Hurricane Andrew, the Midwest Floods of 1993, and the blizzard of 1992. This required Internet research, review of government documents, and correspondence with agency officials. I was also able to participate in interviews with insurance executives regarding their risk analysis and management practices. Finally, I got to summarize the state of the science on climate change, which would have been quite useful had I chosen to take PUAF 741 this semester. That’s not to say that they don’t give their interns some latitude. They go out of their way to make the experience enjoyable because the internship program is their primary recruiting tool. I got to go on a tour of the Pentagon, attend Committee hearings that I found interesting, and spend a couple hours eating ice cream with fellow interns.
It was not all fun and games. I was always busy and found myself taking work home on a couple weekends. However, as internships go, the experience was very valuable. I learned skills that can be applied in any policy analysis position and hopefully, got to make a difference, albeit small, in the way government is run.
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GWIPP Member Updates -- “WHAT I DID THIS SUMMER”
We asked GWIPP members to tell us about their experiences this summer, work, travel and otherwise. See what everyone was up to!
Ruby Marcelo, MPP '07 ISEP
- Organization Where I Worked: Maryland Leadership Institute, School of Public Policy
- Most Interesting Thing about My Job: Meeting 35 fascinating, eager, and motivated rising undergraduate seniors from across the U.S.
- My Summer Travels: BBQ at Soumya's and Debbie's Place
Erin McNerney, MPP '07 ISEP
- Organization Where I Worked: Organization of American States
- Most Interesting Thing about My Job: It was really interesting meeting and working with people from all over the Americas.
- My Summer Travels: To Oregon to visit my family.
Dana Coelho, MPP '07 Environmental Policy
- Organization Where I Worked: Worcester County Department of Comprehensive Planning
- Most Interesting Thing about My Job: I was building a computer model for setting conservation priorities for some of the most beautiful coastal, wetland, forest and agricultural lands on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
- My Summer Travels: I attended a conference (The Sustainable City) in Tallinn Estonia, which was awesome. And while I was there, why not take a ship to Helsinki? Came home for a "grainbelt tour" of the middle US and drove from Oklahoma to North Dakota, then back to Maryland... can I stop moving yet?
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Got Something to Say?
We need your submissions for these upcoming GWIPP newsletters. Please email Kristen at kwaters[at]aecf.org if you are interested in writing on any of the following themes:
October -- The Work-Family and Relationships Issue: Articles on balancing work/family (especially articles from our new policy students with children), finding mentors and role models, and making relationships in the community; plus, advice on finding jobs for 2nd years and filling out PhD applications
December -- The Leadership Issue; advice on finals
March -- The Science and Technology Issue: gearing up for Earth Day/Month events in April; feature on climate change; focus on women's health
May -- The "Changes" Issue - transitioning from school to full-time work; becoming a parent; going back to school (articles from new and prospective students on "why now?"); deciding when it's time to change jobs
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Upcoming GWIPP Events
Monday, September 11
7 pm, in VMH 1113 (the lounge)Our first GWIPP meeting of the year. Meet current members, tell us what kinds of events you’d like to participate in this semester, and eat snacks. All are welcome!
Wednesday, September 13
6:30 pm, at Local 16
1602 U Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: (202) 265-2828
Metro: U Street - Cardozo (Green Line) at 13th St & U St, NWCome to the GWIPP Alumnae Kick-Off event for the fall! Let's enjoy the last days of summer weather at Local 16 on their outdoor terrace (weather permitting). This will be a great chance for us to gather to catch up, network, and welcome new and returning students to the area. Come for great times and great drinks! We hope to see you there! Questions? Email Catherine at catherine_albornoz[at]yahoo.com.
Sunday, October 1
6 - 8 pm, at alum Carolyn Chuhta’s place
12621 Layhill Road, Apt. T2
Silver Spring 20906Join us for a relaxed and informal potluck dinner. Bring a dish of your own and sample others’. Friends and family members are welcome. More details to come.
These and other events can be viewed at the GWIPP website. Download events to your own Google or iCal Calendar.
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