“The Robertson Fellowship made my dream of attending the Bush School possible. Without it, I wouldn’t have received the excellent education, mentorship, nor the career-broadening professional experiences that have set me up for success in my federal career.”

Gabrielle Keleher (Bush, '16)

“With a Robertson Fellowship at UC San Diego, I was able to prepare myself for a federal career both academically, through rigorous coursework, and professionally, through the RFG Fellows events and an internship at the State Department. Thanks to the support of RFG, I became a Presidential Management Fellow at the Department of Energy after graduating. I am grateful to have been chosen as a Roberston Fellow and look forward to seeing what the next 10 years of fellows accomplish.”

Isabelle Heilman (UCSD GPS, '19)

"As a first-generation college graduate, being chosen to be part of the Robertson Foundation meant so much to me. Not only did it allow me to go to graduate school with a lesser financial burden, but it also provided me with several opportunities to network, gain skills, and develop myself as a professional."

Diana Hajali (Bush, '20)

Caitlyn Bess (Bush, ‘21) published an article in Ms. magazine highlighting ways that “the invisibility of women in world affairs leads to unnecessary pain and suffering, for women and men alike.”

Kelli Sunabe (Maxwell, ‘22) is among 35 Peace Corps evacuees at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, where she is pursuing her interests in international labor. Kelli knew that she was headed to Maxwell when she was evacuated near the end of her Peace Corps service. “My dream is to work for the U.S. State Department, for the Office of International Labor Affairs,” says Kelli, who also is pursuing dual MPA/MAIR degrees. “The Office is responsible for overseeing regulations and ensuring that American companies are treating workers overseas ethically.”

With support from the Robertson Foundation for Government, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) recently launched a resource portal on diversity, equity and inclusion in international affairs education. The DEI portal responds to growing demand from American colleges and universities—often pushed by students and alumni—to revisit and enhance commitments to DEI. The portal includes syllabus guides, research summaries, and a list of DEI strategies and plans from American universities compiled through an initiative led by GIWPS Distinguished Fellow Carla Koppell.

In spite of its extraordinary uncertainty and disruption, 2020 has been a year of impact and expansion for the Volcker Alliance’s Government-to-University (G2U) Initiative. G2U 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. RFG is a sponsor of the G2U initiative.

If you know a federal employee making an incredible impact, nominate them for a Sammies award. Nominations are due January 15, 2021, but don't wait until then to start yours. The Robertson Foundation for Government has proudly sponsored the Sammies.

RFG was recently featured on ProFellow's list of 30 fellowships in U.S. government for recent graduates and young professionals. ProFellow’s mission is to make funding opportunities easier to find and to share advice on the competitive application process. All of their content is voluntarily produced by current and former fellows who aim to pay-it-forward and inspire the next generation of aspiring fellows and future leaders.

Meridian International Center is strengthening its commitment to developing the next generation of global leaders by launching the Meridian Center for Global Leadership in January 2021. Through the development of the new Center for Global Leadership, Meridian will strengthen its overall programming to empower future leaders and changemakers.

WFPG's Guide to Women Leaders highlights women shaping foreign policy around the world and the role that they play as leaders, diplomats, and policymakers. The Guide provides an index of prominent women from across the international community, including heads of state and government, government ministers and diplomats, and leaders of international organizations and corporations. Follow #g2wl on Twitter for more inspirational quotes, stories and statistics.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of people’s lives, including the business of government. Facing unprecedented obstacles, many federal, state and local governments turned to technology to navigate the challenges. Technology enabled government to evolve and remotely perform previously in-person functions, expand how it offers existing services to the public, and establish new ways to deal with the pandemic. The crisis became an opportunity to innovate. Read stories from federal, state and local governments and the lessons learned in this report produced by the Partnership for Public Service and Microsoft.

A new newsletter from the Center for Presidential Transition is filled with valuable information and insights. Listen to Representative Derek Kilmer discuss his efforts to improve civility, bipartisanship and trust within Congress; watch a panel of presidential transition experts discuss how an incoming administration builds and deploys a White House staff; read a new Center study featured on CBS News on how the Senate traditionally confirms most Cabinet secretaries; learn about the history and the process of presidential transitions in a documentary from ABC News; register for The Atlantic’s virtual forum on what it takes to assemble a new administration; and read the latest transition news stories. Sign up to receive your own copy.