Students Connect With Leading Policy Advocate Over Dinner

The McCourt School resumed its Policy Dinner series with its first of the year featuring Tamera Luzzatto , Senior Vice President of Government Relations at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Ms. Luzzatto described before a gathering of 25 McCourt students key career insights including advice on running for office, strategies for women working in a field of men, and ways to mobilize support among different factions of the political parties. She also discussed current events and the political climate.

The conversation with Ms. Luzzatto, held at Il Canale restaurant in the Georgetown neighborhood, was moderated by dean Edward Montgomery and professor Judy Feder.

In her role as VP of Government Relations, Ms. Luzzatto ensures that Pew’s wide range of nonpartisan policy work at the state, federal and international levels is effectively and accurately communicated to policy makers.

Ms. Luzzatto’s distinguished career in politics and policy includes serving for nearly a decade as then-Senator Hillary Clinton’s chief of staff and serving as legislative director and chief of staff for West Virginia Senator John D. Rockefeller IV for almost 15 years. She launched her career working for the what was then an umbrella agency to several federal service organizations including the Peace Corps.

Policy Dinners provide an opportunity for students to engage in candid discussions with policy practitioners. Previous dinners have been held with Dr. Raj Shah, former Administrator of USAID; former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel; and Elizabeth Boris, founding director of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute and a current McCourt faculty member.