The year-long fellowship program brings together 40 graduate students from 17 universities across the country.

Established in 2021, the Public Policy New Voices Fellowship Program (PPNV) is a collaboration among leading American public policy graduate schools, strategic advisory firms and companies committed to expanding representation in the private sector, including The Walt Disney Company, Netflix, Eurasia Group and Marriott International.

The year-long fellowship program, targeted to racially underrepresented communities, provides mentorship from public policy professionals and exposure to career paths across sectors through internships, executive fireside chats and skill-building workshops. Georgetown was just one of four universities that participated in the fellowship program upon its founding. Since 2021, the program has expanded to 17 universities across the country and has grown from 30 to 40 fellows, ranging in age from 23 to 42 years.

McCourt School students Brianna Anderson (MPP‘21) and Taylor Washington (MPP‘21) were part of the inaugural cohort. As a PPNV Fellow, Washington also worked full-time as a program assistant at Federal Advisory Partners. After completing the Fellowship, she transitioned to an executive administrative position, and most recently, was promoted to consultant.

“The program offers a lot of opportunities to engage with policy professionals,” she said. “My experience better prepared me to set goals for my career.”

Expanding opportunities for career exploration

“PPNV is a phenomenal opportunity to explore what public policy careers can look like in various employment sectors, particularly for students that may not have otherwise had access to the dynamic organizations involved with the program,” said Briana Green, director of career development and alumni engagement at the McCourt School.

“This type of exploration is so important because it allows students to make informed and intentional decisions about their career trajectories, as well as understand their strengths and the value they bring to employers as McCourt students,” she said.

The Public Policy New Voices Fellowship Program will welcome three McCourt students for the upcoming 2022-2023 academic year.