Education and Child Well-Being Policy Leaders Join McCourt as Doris Duke Distinguished Visiting Fellows

The McCourt School of Public Policy is pleased to welcome Roberto J. Rodriguez, former assistant U.S. secretary of education for policy and planning at the U.S. Department of Education, and Philip Steigman, who leads Connected for Kids, a national child-wellbeing initiative in partnership with Child Trends and Georgetown University’s Thrive Center.

The distinguished fellowship was established through a generous gift from the Doris Duke Foundation (DDF) and brings together high-level policy leaders, particularly in the fields of child well-being and social policies, to share their expertise with the McCourt community. Fellows have the opportunity to lecture courses, host informal dialogues and conduct research.

Meet the Spring 2026 Doris Duke Distinguished Visiting Fellows

Roberto J. Rodriguez

Roberto J. Rodriguez is a nationally recognized education and public policy leader. His impactful leadership in the White House, U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Education and in the nonprofit sector has been consequential in expanding opportunity and transforming educational systems. He most recently served as assistant U.S. secretary of education for policy and planning, where he led efforts to accelerate post-pandemic recovery, strengthen the educator workforce, redesign high schools, expand college access and advance the effective use of technology in learning. Previously, he was deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy. Rodriguez shaped President Barack Obama’s education agenda and served as a key architect of major bipartisan initiatives, including the Every Student Succeeds Act and investments in the Pell Grant and America’s community colleges. Rodriguez began his federal service as chief counsel to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. In this role, he steered bipartisan legislation to improve standards and accountability, expand early childhood and higher education and broaden educational access and civil rights protections for students and families.  

Rodriguez launched his career at UnidosUS, where he supported legislative policy and advocacy to improve educational access, equity and community empowerment. He also served as president and chief executive officer of Teach Plus, advancing a national movement to elevate the voices and vision of talented educators to improve educational policy and practice. He has been appointed to multiple national boards and commissions and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s in education from Harvard University.

Philip Steigman

Philip Steigman is a policy strategist and systems builder focused on how public policy can better support children, families and communities. His work is grounded in time spent in the youth development field, where he worked directly with afterschool and community-based programs and saw firsthand how relationships, belonging and opportunity shape young people’s lives.

He later brought that field-based perspective into government, spending fifteen years in local, state, and federal roles working on cross-agency policy related to early childhood and elementary-age wellbeing. Across these roles, Philip focused on how policy, funding and accountability systems shape what is possible on the ground for children, families and the adults who support them. 

Building on that experience, Steigman now leads Connected for Kids, a national initiative in partnership with Child Trends and the Georgetown University Thrive Center. Through this work, he brings together researchers, policymakers, funders and local leaders to align education, health, youth development and family-serving systems around shared outcomes for children’s well-being and flourishing. A central focus of the work is filling the “missing middle” of elementary-age years to help set children up for flourishing in adolescence and young adulthood.

As a Doris Duke Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy, Philip contributes an applied, real-world perspective on evidence-based policymaking, systems alignment and equity. His work centers on translating developmental science into practical policy and funding strategies that reflect how systems actually operate and that strengthen the conditions children need to flourish. Steigman holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Vermont,  a master’s in human development and family studies from Wheelock College and a master’s in public policy from Brandeis University.

Rodriguez and Steigman are joining returning Doris Duke Distinguished Visiting Fellows Liz Ryan and Shalanda Young. If you would like to contact any of the Fellows, please email McCourt Research Administrative Coordinator Julia Crum, julia.crum@georgetown.edu.