Presidential Management Fellows Program Selects 3 MPA ESP Students as Finalists

Three students from the MPA program in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA ESP) have been selected as finalists for the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program. The students, Nathan Chan, Alejandro Gómez Palma, and Daniel Teitelbaum, who will graduate in May 2009, have all demonstrated a commitment to public service and to the environment. There are 13 finalists at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and a total of 23 finalists throughout Columbia University.  This year, 26 students from the MPA ESP program were nominated for the PMF program and MPA ESP has seen 12 students become finalists for the PMF in the last few years.

Responding to this news, Program Director Steven Cohen observed: "I am delighted that these three students have the opportunity to join the new Administration in Washington and along with a number of other members of the class of 2009. This is an exciting moment for sustainability professionals and our students are well prepared to contribute to the emerging green economy."

"In recent years, the PMF Program has been looking for more diversity in their recruits, including people with environmental training," says Meg Heenehan, the Executive Director of the Office of Career Services at SIPA. "With the new Administration in Washington, there has been a lot of buzz about new jobs focusing on environmental politics and policy. Students in the [MPA] ESP program are so appropriate for the PMF program because they gain insight on environmental problems through a systematic approach to learning environmental policy that emphasizes problem-solving, operational planning and public management."

The three MPA ESP students initially applied with about one hundred other SIPA students in October, 2008 and subsequently participated in an intense semi-finalist round involving all-day interviews and individual oral presentations. The PMF program attracts qualified individuals from a variety of academic backgrounds who are committed to careers in the analysis and management of public policies and programs. The program trains students to play leadership roles in the Federal service and prepares them to meet the future of public needs.

Though all three MPA ESP finalists bring skills from different work and academic experiences, their interests have converged around a commitment to environmental protection. "Unlike many educational programs that bring together people who have similar training and skills, the MPA ESP program unites people with extremely different backgrounds and skill sets and teaches them to work collaboratively toward a common goal," said Chan. "The PMF allows fellows to rotate through various offices and offers them a broad range of skills, so it is a great way to learn about different types of government work."

Gómez Palma emphasizes how the PMF program places fellows at the forefront of policy creation and implementation. "Given how much policy in renewable energy, climate change and education will be decided upon in the following months and years, the PMF will allow me to work in one of the most exciting contexts possible: the federal government of the U.S."

A graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Japanese Studies, Gómez Palma came to the MPA ESP program with experience consulting for and working with The World Bank, The Inter-American Development Bank, and the United Nations Children's Fund. "My professional and personal experiences outside of the U.S. have given the chance to work in different settings, with staff from different countries and in distinct organizational cultures. Ultimately, many of the issues we had to face were not only technical and political, but also management issues." Gómez Palma hopes to utilize the management skills he has further developed in the MPA ESP program by working for the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, or the Executive Office of the President.

The PMF applicant pool is competitive and the process demanding, but the diverse experiences of these three students and their commitment to environmental policy and public service ensured a competitive candidacy. All three plan to continue in the environmental field after the PMF program. Said Teitelbaum, "I think working inside government will give me a better sense of how policy implementation actually works, which will be valuable even if I later decide to approach environmental problems from the non-profit or private sectors."

Daniel Teitelbaum earned a B.A. in Economics and Philosophy at Brown University before working at Consulting Actuaries Inc. Teitelbaum became interested in working for the government after taking a course at Columbia that mimicked the experience of leading a government agency charged with implementing a national climate adaptation policy. "This experience along with classes like Public Management exposed me to the interesting challenges that government employees face and the significant role they can play in affecting change," says Teitelbaum. He plans to use these skills at a government agency dealing with sustainability issues. "I am looking primarily at EPA and the Department of Energy, but I am interested in any positions related to sustainability. I am looking at policy and program analyst positions that apply the cross-disciplinary approach the ESP program has taught me."

"Just prior to entering Columbia's MPA ESP program, I was completing a dual degree in Environmental Engineering and English at the California Institute of Technology," says Chan. He has taught science at Environmental Charter High School, and while at CIT he was president of the student organization Engineers for a Sustainable World. Chan is looking forward to working at the intersection of science and policy: "If I receive a PMF, I would like to work for an agency that works on major environmental problems, like the EPA or DOE. I would also be interested in working for an agency that is science-focused, like the NSF or NOAA."

Gómez Palma emphasized the long-term skills he has obtained through the MPA ESP program: "Given the accelerated pace of the program, as well as the multi-disciplinary nature of the core-courses, the ESP program really hones your skills to distill the most important elements in a large amount of information and data [and] the ability to translate technical and scientific issues into information that is relevant and applicable for policy-setting."

Chan says "the MPA ESP program has prepared me very well for a diverse workplace like the government, where I will interface on a daily basis with people who have varied backgrounds, distinct perspectives, and different communication styles."

While the PMF may only represent a short-term step in their environmental careers, Gómez Palma is aware of the long-term implications of their work. "It truly is an exciting time to work with the federal government," said Gómez Palma, " not only from the perspective of career development, but also from the perspective of being able to contribute to making the world not get worse for our children and our children's children."