News and Announcements

Gates Foundation Hosts Evans School Students

Evans School alumni at the Gates Foundation networking event, from left: Jennifer Samnick (MPA ’04), David Cook (current student), Deb Wolf (MPA ’04), Wendy Prosser (MPA ’01), Brock Grubb (MPA ’08), Tricia Vander Leest (MPA ’08), Stacy Branum (MPA ’10), Haddis Tadesse (MPA ’06), Makeba Greene (MPA ’09)

Evans School alumni working at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently hosted a group of 40 current Evans School students for a networking event, tour, and alumni panel. The panel included alumni working in all three of the foundation’s giving areas: Global Development, Global Health, and the United States Program, and included various career levels and job titles, including grants administrator, program coordinator, business systems process manager, program officer, and country director. Panelists spoke about the foundation’s culture, career tracks, and hiring process. “Alumni seemed well-equipped for the work they were doing and found enjoyment in it,” said Michael Oberg, Evans School student.

Evans School Holds First 50th Anniversary Faculty Roundtable

Evans School faculty members Marieka Klawitter, Rachel Garshick Kleit, Marcia Meyers, Robert Plotnick, with moderator Dr. Constance Rice (MPA ’70).

More than 120 guests attended "The Changing Face of American Poverty," the first in a series of three faculty roundtables celebrating the Evans School's 50th anniversary. Panelists included Evans School faculty members Robert Plotnick, Marieka Klawitter, Rachel Garshick Kleit, and Marcia Meyers (joint with Social Work), and Constance Rice (MPA '70), managing director for knowledge management for Casey Family Programs as moderator.

Download a podcast of the roundtable and view photos of the event.
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J. Patrick Dobel Installed as John and Marguerite Corbally Professor in Public Service

John and Marguerite Walker Corbally Professor J. Patrick Dobel

January 26, 2012—Professor J. Patrick Dobel was installed as the fifth John and Marguerite Walker Corbally Professor in Public Service at a ceremony this evening. This prestigious university-wide award is made at the discretion of the president of the University of Washington to a faculty member whose professional achievements are recognized as making significant contributions to public service, either regionally or nationally. Professor Dobel is the third Evans School faculty member to receive this professorship; he is preceded by professors Hubert Locke and Paul Hill.
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David Harrison Honored With Lifetime Achievement Award

January 23, 2012—Today the Alliance FOR Nonprofits Washington (The Alliance) announced that Evans School Senior Lecturer David Harrison has been awarded the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award. This highly prestigious award acknowledges people and organizations that have given their time and resources to make a stronger nonprofit sector within Washington State. Harrison was described as a gifted teacher and skilled practitioner of nonprofit policy and management who has inspired hundreds of nonprofit leaders–present and future–to make their organizations more effective and their communities stronger.

“He has been one of the region's most respected and strategic thought-leaders in the area of poverty reduction, working with nonprofit and government leaders to craft new approaches to creating opportunity for hundreds of thousands of low-income people,” said the Alliance.

Harrison was acknowledged for his passion and ability to develop and mentor generation after generation of new nonprofit leaders. During his 25 year tenure at the Evans School, he has trained hundreds of MPA students who have gone on to lead prominent nonprofit organizations locally and globally. Harrison will be honored at the 18th Annual Washington State Nonprofit Conference on May 11, 2012.
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Evans School Presents 50th Anniversary Faculty Roundtable Series

The Evans School is proud to present the 50th Anniversary Faculty Roundtable Series. Exploring issues at the cutting edge of public policy and management, the series will feature the Evans School’s internationally recognized faculty and dynamic community leaders. The series is free and open to the UW community, alumni, and the general public.

Kicking off the series is “The Changing Face of American Poverty” on Wednesday, February 1, 2012. The first of these roundtables features Evans School faculty Robert D. Plotnick, Marieka M. Klawitter, Rachel Garshick Kleit, and Marcia Meyers. Dr. Constance Rice (MPA ’70), Managing Director for Knowledge Management for Casey Family Programs will serve as moderator.

Please RSVP to esevents@uw.edu to ensure a seat. Visit the Roundtable Series website for more information on this and other upcoming events in the series.

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Bob Plotnick Interviewed on 520 Tolling Study

January 4, 2012—King 5 news interviewed Evans School Professor Robert Plotnick about his recent report on the impact of the 520 bridge tolls on low income households in the Puget Sound area. Tolling on 520 began on December 29, 2011.

Plotnick's report, funded by the Washington State Department of Transportation, found that only 1% of poor households in Puget Sound use the 520 bridge, and thus are less likely to be adversely impacted by the tolls. The report was co-authored by Associate Professor Jen Romich (Social Work), GIS Specialist Matt Dunbar (Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology), and Jenny Thacker (MPA ’09).

Plotnick, a national leader in social demography and social welfare policy research, joined the Evans School faculty in 1984 and currently serves as the school's Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. He will participate in the first of the Evans School's 50th Anniversary Faculty Roundtables "The Changing Face of American Poverty," on February 1, 2012, 5:30-6:30 p.m., along with Evans School faculty members Rachel Kleit, Marieka Klawitter, and Marcia Meyers. Learn more.

Read/view the King 5 interview
Read Plotnick's report for the DOT
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Evans School Propels Graduates to Quality Careers in Public Service

Evans School Director of Career Services Heather Krasna and Assistant Director Barry Wall help a student with her resume

Evans School graduates are landing new positions in public service at an excellent rate, increasing post-degree earnings by an average of 65%. This has remained the case even in the face of economic challenges and the downward trends in state and local government employment.

Six months after graduation, 85% of the class of 2010 was employed, 5% were continuing their education, and 2% were not seeking employment (typically due to raising a family). Learn more about the Evans School's employment statistics.

The federal government is expected to hire more than 270,000 mission-critical positions between fiscal years 2010 and 2012—including at least 17,200 projected positions in program management. As the problems faced by our nation and world become more complex, a new generation of trained public administrators and policy analysts will be in demand.

Evans School Career Services offers support to students to make them the most successful in their job search, including a required internship placement prior to graduation, resume assistance and interview practice, connections to a network of over 3,000 alumni worldwide, an online job database with over 2,500 MPA-level jobs and internships per year, on-campus presentations by prestigious employers, and a referral service to target employers post-graduation.
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Shalini Jain Advances to Ph.D. Candidacy

Evans School Ph.D. student Shalini Sarin Jain advanced to Ph.D. candidacy on December 9. Jain's committee includes Associate Professor Sanjeev Khagram, chair, Associate Professor Joaquin Herranz, Professor Aseem Prakash (political science, adjunct professor of public affairs), and Associate Professor Susan Whiting (political science).

Jain's dissertation proposal is titled ”The Public Role of the Private Sector: Transnational Private Regulation and Corporate Social Responsibility in India.“

Now that Jain has passed the general exam and had her dissertation proposal approved, “it is full steam ahead on her dissertation,” explains Professor William Zumeta, Ph.D. faculty coordinator.
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Anne Buffardi Successfully Defends Dissertation

Evans School Ph.D. Candidate Anne Buffardi successfully defended her dissertation, titled “Institutional Influence: the Role of International Donors in Shaping Development Goals, Implementation and Effectiveness” on December 9. Buffardi's dissertation committee was chaired by Associate Professor Mary Kay Gugerty, Associate Professor Sanjeev Khagram, Professor Peter May (political science, adjunct professor of public affairs), and Associate Professor Joseph Zunt (public health).
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Alumni in the Workplace: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Washington, D.C. is the second largest employment location for Evans School alumni (after Washington state). Recently, we sat down with four D.C.-area alumni who work at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to hear more about their work and reflections on their time at the Evans School. We heard from Lesley Jantarasami (MPA '09), climate change science and policy analyst; David Kling (MPA '78), director of the Federal Facility Enforcement office; Teresa Kuklinski (MPA '04), international environmental program specialist; and Jeffrey Levy (MPA '93), director of web communications.
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