Impact Stories

In recent years, RFG Fellows at Syracuse University’s (SU) Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs have been leveraging the School’s Washington, DC program to accelerate not only their academic efforts, but their professional development as well. Headquartered at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Maxwell-in-Washington Program is an opportunity for students […]

RFG is proud to recognize Melissa Alvisi (Maxwell 2024) as the winner of the Dr. Michael Schneider Professional Writing Award for the first quarter of 2024. Her award-winning piece is titled, “The Biden Administration and the First Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence: An Assessment on AI Watermarking Regulations.” Please note that the views expressed in this […]

The Robertson Foundation for Government (RFG) is proud to recognize seven Robertson Fellows and Alumni who have been selected as Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Class of 2024 Finalists! Congratulations to Andrew Gasparini (Maxwell 2024), Aurora Guild (UCSD 2022), Elisabeth Earley (UCSD 2023), McKenzie Hartman (UCSD 2024), Colleen McRann (UMD 2024), Grace Pettey (UMD 2024), and Cate Pollock (UCSD 2022) for this […]

The Robertson Foundation for Government hosted its annual holiday party for RFG Fellows, Alumni, and their families on December 16, 2023. The event featured awards for the best holiday sweater and most festive attire, along with a holiday photo booth! As part of the event, RFG Fellows and Alumni donated food items in support of […]

RFG is proud to recognize Mark Hoover (Fletcher 2015) as the winner of the Dr. Michael Schneider Professional Writing Award for the fourth quarter of 2023. His award-winning piece, which Mark coauthored with Gabrielle Fong and Holly Milburn-Smith, is titled, “As City Diplomacy Grows, So Should Our Efforts to Engage Rural Communities in Foreign Policy.” […]

RFG Fellows from the Class of 2024 completed a diverse set of robust summer internship and research projects this summer. These included RFG Fellow, Andrew Gasparini‘s (Maxwell 2024) time at the Millennium Challenge Corporation, where he engaged in interagency projects between the MCC and the Department of State. Melissa Alvisi, another RFG Fellow from the […]

This summer, two Robertson Fellows traveled to Hawaii as interns in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Center. This program, which has partnered with RFG for several years, hosts students from across the United States to work for ten weeks under a combatant command dedicated to preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific. Olivia Parker (UMD 2024) worked […]

As part of RFG’s growing partnership with Blacks in Government (BIG), RFG leadership attended the 44th annual BIG Symposium, marking the second year in a row that a RFG staff member has participated in the event. The BIG Symposium is designed as an in-person training forum for both current civil service employees and students considering careers in the public sector. […]

RFG is proud to recognize Diana Hajali (Bush 2020) as the winner of the Dr. Michael Schneider Professional Writing Award for the third quarter of 2023. Check out her award-winning piece below titled, “Standards Environment in the Middle East and North Africa.” Overview The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has considerable potential value […]

RFG is proud to recognize Emily Ashbridge (Bush, 2023) as the winner of the Dr. Michael Schneider Professional Writing Award for the second quarter of 2023. Check out her award-winning piece below titled, “Making the CHIPS Act Pay Off: How to Boost STEM Talent to Meet Industry Needs.” This piece was originally published by the […]

The Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) held their Virtual Intern of the Year Awards on May 31, 2023. In support of this event, the Robertson Foundation for Government partnered with the VSFS Program to highlight the important contributions of virtual student interns to Federal Government initiatives. As part of that support, RFG gave cash awards […]

In April 2023, RFG Fellow, JaKyah Beatty (UMD, 2024), returned from her travels abroad as a Boren Fellow studying Swahili in Tanzania. While abroad, JaKyah had the opportunity to learn a critical language, progressing from having no prior knowledge of Swahili to reaching an advanced intermediate fluency in the language after nine months of intensive […]

The Robertson Foundation for Government (RFG) is thrilled to announce the Dr. Schneider Professional Writing Award. This award recognizes the incredible contributions of Dr. Michael Schneider, who has served as a career advisor to RFG Fellows and Alumni for several years and whose talent and passion for writing has enriched Robertson Fellows’ understanding of global […]

On February 6, 2023, RFG joined with representatives of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to host a careers information session for Robertson Fellows. The session began with a presentation by DFC Human Resources Specialists, Samantha Miller and Nicole Smith, which provided an overview of the agency’s  mission and work, recent recruitment efforts and […]

On March 7-10, 2023, the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) hosted the 2023 Public & International Service Advisor (PISA) Spring Training Workshops, welcoming 80 new advisors to the PISA Network.  APSIA’s PISA Network brings together undergraduate and community college advisors across the United States to advance their understanding of the professions of […]

The Robertson Foundation for Government (RFG) is proud to announce a recent partnership with the International Career Advancement Program (ICAP). ICAP is a professional development and leadership program for highly promising mid-career professionals from underrepresented groups in international affairs in the United States. It provides a support network, career advising, mentors, policy and research background, […]

In today’s quickly changing strategic landscape, RFG looks to expand its partnership with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) and the associated Center for Excellence – Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM) to meet real-world challenges impacting the region. As the Indo-Pacific has risen in strategic importance and climate shocks continue to fuel humanitarian crises worldwide, […]

On July 16, 2022, the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) hosted a Diversity Forum Workshop for Students and Young Professionals as part of its sixth annual Diversity Forum Series. APSIA created the Diversity Forum Series in 2017 to inspire students and young professionals – and those who counsel them – to pursue […]

On Friday, July 15, 2022, the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Program hosted its 20th annual Public Service Expo and Career Fair. The virtual expo brought together more than 250 student attendees and over 60 exhibitors, including representatives from some of the nation’s top graduate programs in public policy and international affairs, as well […]

RFG Chief Program Officer and Alumna, Sharon Swabb (UCSD 12), journeyed up to Cleveland, Ohio to speak with high school and undergraduate students as part of the Blacks in Government (BIG) 43rd annual symposium. This event was designed as an in-person training forum for both current civil service employees and students considering careers in the […]

RFG joined forces this summer with the Partnership for Public Service and its Harold W. Rosenthal Fellowship in International Relations to host a series of professional development programming for both RFG and Rosenthal Fellows who were interning this summer at a variety of government offices. This partnership, which has been ongoing for more than 10 […]

A new podcast from the Partnership for Public Service tells compelling stories about unsung public servant leaders.

As former Secretary of Defense James Mattis asserted, “If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.” 

Madison Chapman recently published an article on cancer treatment and fertility in Ms. Magazine.

With support from the Robertson Foundation for Government, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) launched a new resource portal on diversity, equity and inclusion in international affairs education.

The Robertson Foundation for Government is a proud supporter of the Volcker Alliance’s G2U initiative, which addresses critical governance challenges by building regional networks of governments and universities to sustainably connect government’s hiring and research needs with local university capacity. In 2020, the alliance expanded significantly and today has five G2U sites—in Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh.

Last May, as the novel coronavirus spread and government employees began to realize temporary shut-downs might extend into summer and beyond, an institutional partner of RFG at the U.S. State Department made all the difference for students.

Two years following Barbara Bush’s passing in 2018, her memory is being honored by the Robertson Foundation for Government with the creation of The Women in Public Service Fellowship in Honor of Barbara Bush through the Texas A&M Foundation.

On July 27, the Robertson Foundation for Government and the Rosenthal Fellowship program co-sponsored a roundtable on “Democracy in the Middle East” featuring Shadi Hamid of the Center for Middle East Policy and Amira Maaty of the National Endowment for Democracy.

RFG is supporting the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) in its efforts to ensure that the emerging generation of public servants has a global mindset and an ability to address diversity, equity and inclusion in the practice of international affairs.

A diverse group of 77 students from 26 colleges and universities joined PLEN’s first virtual seminar on Women in Global Policy in May, the largest group of participants in PLEN seminar history. The students hailed from 22 states and four countries, including Ghana and Pakistan.

In an open letter to the President and Congress, the Robertson Foundation for Government and other good government groups urged leaders to heed the findings of the Inspired to Serve report, released in March 2020.

RFG partnered with the Meridian International Center to sponsor the Welcome to Washington reception on January 15, which honored newly-credentialed ambassadors.

On January 30th, the foundation hosted a New Year Networking event to kick off our tenth anniversary year. Intended as a cross-fellowship and multi-organization career networking event, it provided attendees with an opportunity to expand and enhance their professional networks and foster contacts and camaraderie to catalyze the sharing of resources, events and job information, to facilitate collaboration, and build a network of public service leaders across the dynamic range of public policy and government fellowships in our region.

RFG sponsored a session at this year’s National Academy of Public Administration 2019 Fall Meeting, “Improving the Development of Public Administrators for Global Work in the 21st Century” focused on how we can develop public administrators to be ready for global work and where there is still work to be done.

On July 12th more than more than 600 registered attendees and 80 exhibitors attended the PPIA Public Service Expo. The Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) is a not-for-profit that has been supporting efforts to increase diversity in public service for 39 years. PPIA believes that our society is best served by public managers, policy makers, and community leaders who represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

Kyle Fowler (Bush, Class of 2015) has been awarded the DOE NNSA 2019 Linton F. Brooks Medal for Dedication to Public Service. He was one of two early-career National Nuclear Security Administration employees to receive this award.

From pathbreaking scientists to tenacious human rights advocates, meet the outstanding federal employees who are addressing the country’s greatest challenges. Meet the finalists, read the press release, and vote for the People’s Choice award.

In the coming months, the Volcker Alliance will partner with government and university leaders in Austin and Kansas City to establish two inaugural “G2U Regional Councils.” RFG is a proud partner in the G2U initiative, which aims to catalyze a robust local marketplace that can sustainably connect government’s hiring and research needs with local university capacity.

In 2018 RFG supported the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) Diversity Initiative. APSIA launched its Diversity Forum series in 2017 to inspire students and young professionals — and those who counsel them — to pursue careers in international affairs.