John L. Palmer is University Professor and Maxwell Dean Emeritus at Syracuse University.  He joined the faculty of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 1988 and was the School’s dean from then until 2003, with responsibility for academic and administrative leadership of Syracuse University’s six social science disciplinary departments, undergraduate and graduate programs in public and international affairs, and numerous interdisciplinary research centers and institutes.  After leaving the deanship Dr. Palmer was appointed to the position of University Professor, from which he retired in 2019.

He also served two presidentially-appointed terms as a public trustee for the Medicare and Social Security programs from 2000-2007 and as the Maxwell School’s Birkhead-Burkhead Professor of Teaching Excellence from 2010-2014.  Prior to moving to Syracuse, Dr. Palmer occupied several different positions in Washington, DC, including senior fellow of The Brookings Institution and of The Urban Institute and Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation of the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

He has been affiliated with the Robertson Family since 2003. Dr. Palmer served on the Advisory Board of the Robertson Foundation for Government (RFG) from 2009 to 2021. In April 2021 he was elected for a three-year term as a Member-at-Large of the RFG Board of Directors.

Geoff Robertson is the Director of Business Assistance at the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, a non-profit, economic development focused organization where he manages a suite of services focused on growing Vermont companies and serves as the Managing Director of the Accel-VT startup accelerator. Prior to VSJF, Geoff held the position of CEO at Empower Mobility, a mobile software development company, and was the CFO at School Spring, LLC, a cloud based recruitment and applicant tracking system for K–12 schools. He previously served as a management consultant at Davis & Hodgdon CPAs in Williston, VT.

Geoff serves as a Director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and as a Director of the Owl Research Institute. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in community development and applied economics and Master of Business Administration, both from the University of Vermont.

Julia Robertson is a multi media artist and entrepreneur living in California where she operates (R)evolve Foods, a Modern- Primal Lifestyle Brand offering online health and wellness education and coaching services. Julia earned her MFA in Social Practice from California College of Art. Her ventures include Vena Cava Studios, a cooperative art space showcasing local and emerging artists in Portland Oregon, Pinch Me Films Inc. an educational media production company based in California and Revolve Foods LLC promoting health and wellness through online education and one on one coaching.

Julia currently serves as the Treasurer and Director of the Berkeley Film Foundation, Director of Wild Projects, Chair of The Robertson Foundation for Government and Secretary and Director of the Robertson Family Fund.

Olivia Robertson-Moe is a Program Officer for the Child Protection Unit at Partners of the Americas, where she supports the technical and operational implementation of the Unit’s projects to combat child labor and human trafficking and promote human and labor rights in Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Mexico.

Olivia received her Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and a concentration in Global Public Health from George Washington University. She spent six months studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which furthered her interest in Spanish and her passion for international sustainable development in the region.