Economic and Social Policy Students Network with GPPI Alums
GPPSA’s social and economic policy career panel highlights the value of GPPI’s curriculum to DC Area Employers.
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March 27, 2012 — The Georgetown Public Policy Student Association’s Economic and Social Policy concentration representatives held an Alumni Career Panel and Networking Reception, connecting more than 20 current students with 11 GPPI alumni. The economic and social policy concentration is one of three broad divisions of the MPP curriculum at GPPI encompassing economic, poverty, education, health, energy, environment, family, and social policy.
The four alumni panelists represented the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Panelists included Kate Blosveren ’06, an Associate Director of Strategic Communications & Outreach at Achieve, Inc., an education non-profit; Ryan Walsh-Martel ’09, a staff member on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee; Kristen Hyatt ’97, of the Income Maintenance Branch of the Office of Management and Budget; and Riaz Ali ’06, a Director at Avalere Health, a private health consulting group.
Moderated by Dr. Gary Bass, an affiliated associate professor at GPPI, the panel shared their experiences interviewing for jobs, discovering their passions, advised on moving between the three sectors of the workforce, and gave tips on how to best sell the skills of a public policy degree.
“Employers never want to read in a cover letter that you are passionate about your field, “ said Kate Blosveren. “That is an automatic red flag. A much stronger statement would display knowledge on a specific issue to show the prospective employer that you possess the ability to think critically about current policy issues.” The panelists agreed that GPPI has an excellent reputation within the three sectors and employers are eager to hire more GPPI graduates.
Dr. Bass founded and for 28 years directed OMB Watch, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization that promotes greater government accountability and transparency and increased citizen participation in public policy decisions. In July 2011, Dr. Bass became the executive director of the Bauman Family Foundation where he continues his pursuit of a more open and accountable government that promotes fairness and equity for all Americans.