VCU news

By Tiff Murray-Robertson
L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs has named its latest group of Wilder Graduate Scholars Fellows. The eight students will work at five state and local government agencies this academic year.

Since 2006, the program has connected state agencies, public interest firms and nonprofit organizations with outstanding graduate students from the Wilder School’s criminal justice, public administration, homeland security and emergency preparedness, and urban and regional planning programs.

Members of the 2017 cohort will spend the academic year in a structured work arrangement. Each will consult on special projects and provide program support for 20 hours a week between now and May 2018 — approximately 600 hours. In exchange, fellows receive tuition assistance and a stipend from their host agencies.

But fellows aren’t glorified interns and the arrangement isn’t purely transactional, said Shajuana Isom-Payne. Isom-Payne directs the Office of Student Success at the Wilder School, which oversees the fellowship.

“Our fellows are proven leaders,” she said. “Most have significant skills in research design, budgeting, statistical analysis, policy analysis, program evaluation and other key areas of public and nonprofit management. The breadth of their interests and experiences really expands the scope of their contributions. As a result, they’re more like full-fledged employees than interns.”

The fellows tend to surpass expectations, Isom-Payne said. The same may be said of their hosts.

“Our hosts are really collaborators, partners in shaping a potent force of talent at the Wilder School that we believe will be agents of change in public service for years to come. We are incredibly grateful for their commitment to developing that talent and for their overall guidance and support,” she said.

A glance at the fellows and their host organizations:

•  Rebecca Doody of Virginia Beach, a second-year graduate student studying criminal justice, has been appointed to the Virginia Department of Corrections’ Central Classification Services unit. Doody holds a B.S. in criminal justice from Longwood University.
•  Jesse Harris of Richmond, a second-year graduate student studying urban and regional planning, has been appointed to the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission. Harris holds a B.A. in anthropology from East Carolina University
•  J’Niyah Knox-Wilson of Newport News, a second-year graduate student studying public administration, has been appointed to the Virginia Department of Corrections’ Statistical Analysis & Forecasting unit. Wilson holds a B.A. in political science from Hampton University.
•  Nathan “Nate” Manning of Richmond, a second-year graduate student studying urban and regional planning, has been appointed to the Virginia Department of Corrections’ Policy Initiatives unit. Manning is a returning Wilder Fellow who holds a B.A. in homeland security and emergency preparedness from the Wilder School.
•  Elizabeth “Libba” Goggins McKinsey of Chattanooga, Tennessee, a first-year graduate student studying urban and regional planning, has been appointed to Henrico County. McKinsey holds a B.A. in Spanish from Elon University.
•  Lara McLellan of Clemson, South Carolina, a second-year graduate student studying urban and regional planning, has been appointed to the Virginia Retirement System. McLellan is a returning Wilder Fellow and holds a B.A. in environmental sustainability and German from the University of Oklahoma.
•  Jada Smith of Richmond, a second-year graduate student studying homeland security and emergency preparedness, has been appointed to the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission. Smith holds a B.A. in justice studies from James Madison University.
•  Ava Wagner of Atlanta, a second-year graduate student studying public administration, has been appointed to the Survey & Evaluation Research Lab at the Wilder School. Wagner holds a B.A. in psychology from Lewis and Clark College.