2003 Rappaport Institute Public Policy Fellows
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| The 2003 Public Policy Fellows
with Jerry and Phyllis Rappaport
and the Rappaport Institute Staff. |
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In
2003 the Rappaport Institute changed
the name of the intern program
to the Rappaport Institute Public
Policy Fellows Program. The twelve
fellows represented seven different
schools
including the Kennedy School of
Government,
the Graduate Schools of Design
and Education, the Harvard School
of Public Health, the Boston University
School of Management, Suffolk University's
Sawyer School of Management and
MIT. Additionally, Diane Pokorny-Wilson,
a 2002 candidate for the year-long
program, joined the fellows. Six
state agencies offered placements
to our 2003 fellows including the
Executive Offices of Environment
and Public Safety, the Department
of Housing and Community Development,
the Department of Public Health,
the Office of Commonwealth Development
and the
Board
of Higher
Education. Students also worked
at
the City of Boston in the Boston
Public School Department and the
Boston Redevelopment Authority,
the City of Newton in the Economic
Development
Department and
the City of New Bedford's Mayor's
Office.
 Joshua Bagnato
Graduate Degree:Boston University,
School of Management
Undergraduate Degree: Hamilton College
Areas of Interest: Renewable energy
and natural resource protection
Mentor: David Ellis, former president
of Museum of Science
Public Policy Placement: Executive
Office of Environmental Affairs
Project Description and Excerpts
from Capstone Report: Josh proposed
a framework for the new Office of
Public/Private Partnerships within
the Executive
Office
of Environmental Affairs. He also
researched the several state and
federal models
and interviewed current employees
to evaluate possible partnership
models and prepared a presentation
of
proposals
to the Secretary of the EOEA and
transition
team.
Current Whereabouts: Immediately after his fellowship, Josh consulted with the Executive Office
of Environmental Affairs. Josh was a Special Assistant to
the Chief Operating Officer, Mr.
Steve Pritchard. Steve was Josh's
supervisor during his Rappaport Fellowship.
Josh worked on a variety
of topics and really enjoyed
being back at the EOEA. In 2005 he was promoted to Acting Chief of Staff for the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
 Eileen Chung
Graduate Degree: Harvard, Kennedy
School of Government
Undergraduate Degree: Yale University
Areas of Interest: Crime and criminal
justice, domestic violence issues
Mentor: Jerry Rappaport, Chairman
of the Rappaport Charitable Foundation
Public Policy Placement: Massachusetts
Executive Office of Public Safety
Project Description and Excerpts
from Capstone Report: Eileen provided
policy recommendations to revamp
the Massachusetts
Executive Office of Public Safety’s
administration of a federal grant
program that funds criminal justice
programs
and contacted similar program divisions
in all 50 states and compiled information
based upon the 19 state programs
who sent responses.
Current Whereabouts: Eileen has
returned to her home state of California
and is attending law school at
UCLA.
 Benjamin Forman
Graduate Degree: MIT, Department
of Urban Studies and Planning
Undergraduate Degree: Trinity College
Areas of Interest: Economic development
Mentor: Vivian Li, Executive director
for the Boston Harbor Association
Public Policy Placement: Mayor's
Office, City of New Bedford
Project Description and Exerpts
from Capstone Report: While at the Mayor's
office, Ben worked on a plan to revitalize
the downtown area of New Bedford.
Current Whereabouts: After graduation,
Ben worked on the re-election campaign
for Suffolk County Sherrif Andrea
Cabral. He is now in Washington D.C.
 Jennifer Hall
Graduate Degree: Harvard, Graduate
School of Design
Undergraduate Degree: Stanford University
Areas of Interest: Transportation,
urban growth planning, transit-oriented
development
Public Policy Placement: Boston Redevelopment
Authority
Project Description and Rappaport
Review article: Jennifer worked at the
Boston Redevelopment Authority and focused
on city efforts to foster transit-oriented
development in Boston.
Current Whereabouts: Jennifer is
currently residing in the Denver area.
 Jake Horowitz
Graduate Degree: Harvard, Kennedy
School of Government
Undergraduate Degree: Reed College
Areas of Interest: Crime prevention
and enforcement, justice and welfare
issues
Public Policy Placement: Massachusetts
Executive Office for Public Safety
Project Description: Jake investigated
the issue of disproportionate minority
arrests and incarceration in the juvenile
justice system
Current Whereabouts: Jake is
a Special Assistant of Program Management
at the National Institute of Justice.
He focuses on research, evaluation
and planning of criminal justice
policy and practices for the National
Institute
of Justice. He is currently based in
Washington, DC.
 Wynne Mun
Graduate Degree: Harvard, Graduate
School of Design
Undergraduate Degree: Yale University
Areas of Interest: Transportation
Planning
Public Policy Placement: Office of
Commonwealth Development
Mentor: Alex Krieger, Harvard Graduate
School of Design
Project Description and Exerpts
from Capstone Report: Wynne researched options
for transit-oriented development along
the nodes of the MBTA proposed Greenbush
line.
 Diane Pokorny-Wilson
Graduate Degree: Brandeis University
Undergraduate Degree: College of
the Holy Cross
Areas of Interest: Families and children
in need
Mentor: Charles Baker, CEO of Harvard
Pilgrim Health Care
Public Policy Placement: Strategic
Planning Office, Boston Public Schools
Project Description: Diane developed
performance metrics for Boston Public
School's developing registration system.
Her goal was to identify and define
a list of outcomes and indicators that
could be used to assess whether the
registration process is meeting its
goals and objectives.
Current Whereabouts: She is currently
a consultant working on a project for
Cambridge School Volunteers and another
project with the Boston Public Schools.
 Rebecca Pollard
Graduate Degree: Harvard, Graduate
School of Education
Undergraduate Degree: Colby College
Areas of Interest: School reform
Public Policy Placement: Massachusetts
Board of Education
Project Description and Exerpt
from Capstone Report: During her fellowship
she conducted a survey of public college
admissions staffs, high school guidance
counselors, and other stakeholders about
the information gaps between K-12 and
preparation for higher education; compiled
information about public institution
admissions criteria, information about
financial aid, and alignment of high
school academic standards with college
proficiencies. The conclusions were
synthesized in a research paper on the
barriers facing low-income, minority,
and first-generation college goers in
Massachusetts.
Current Whereabouts: Rebecca is currently
working in Washington, D.C. as Press
Secretary for Senator Bryon Dorgan of
North Dakota.
 Ameila Ravin
Graduate Degree: MIT, Department
of Urban Studies and Planning
Undergraduate Degree: Emory University
Areas of Interest: Conservation and
energy issues
Mentor: Susan Tracy, The Strategy
Group
Public Policy Placement: Planning
Department, City of Newton
Project Description and Rappaport
Review Research Note: Amelia prepared
a draft of an Energy Action Plan
for the City of Newton to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and support
more energy
efficient policies. While at the
City of Newton she was involved developing
and refining a comprehensive energy
policy for the City of Newton, Massachusetts.
One of the most environmentally-progressive
mid-sized cities in the nation, Newton
engaged Ms. Ravin to modernize energy
policy on a broad scale, coalescing
the work of a number of departments,
developing consensus across city
agencies, involving community organizations,
and
driving the project to the point
of implementation.
Current Whereabouts: Amelia is currently
working at Clean Air, Cool Planet
in New Canaan, CT. She brings a wealth
of experience in climate change issues,
particularly
in the context of urban areas. Ms.
Ravin completed her masters degree in
city planning
and environmental policy at MIT,
where
she wrote her thesis on municipal
climate action planning in New England
and Eastern
Canada.
 Lindsay Rosenfeld
Graduate Degree: Harvard School of
Public Health
Undergraduate Degree: Brown University
Areas of Interest: Health disparities,
health promotion and program design,
health literacy and violence prevention
Mentor: Ellaine Ullian, President
of the Boston Medical Center
Public Policy Placement: Massachusetts
Department of Public Health in the Violence
and Injury Prevention Division
Project Description and Rappaport
Review Research Note: Lindsay focused
on two major projects. In one she crafted
recommendations for a long-term plan
concerning how the Department of Public
Health and specifically the Violence
and Injury Prevention Division will
address youth violence, as well as created
plain language, publicly available resources
concerning youth violence. In the second
project, she revised work plans and
wrote memos to facilitate assessment
processes in the CARE Communities Project,
a demonstration project of localized
service networks serving victims and
children exposed to violence, and perpetrators
of intimate partner violence in four
geographic and culturally-based communities
in Massachusetts
Current Whereabouts:
Lindsay is currently in the doctoral
program at the Harvard School of
Public Health
in the Department of Society, Human
Development and Health. She is focusing
on the relationship among housing,
neighborhoods and health issues.
 Zoe Weinrobe
Graduate Degree: MIT, Department
of Urban Studies and Planning
Undergraduate Degree: Cornell University
Areas of Interest: Affordable housing,
economic/community development
Mentor: Marcia Lamb, Co-director
of the Initiative for a Competitive
Inner City
Public Policy Placement and Rappaport
Review Research Note: Massachusetts
Department of Housing and Community
Development
Project Description: Zoe conducted
a study of affordable housing developments
at-risk of losing units due to expiring
affordability restrictions; developed
a database of department-funded projects
to create threshold criteria to analyze
future projects.
Current Whereabouts: During the fall after her fellowship, Zoe consulted with the Department of Housing
and Community Development. She is currently a Project Planner for the Community Development Department in the City of Cambridge. She is focusing on affordable housing options for the city of Cambridge.
 Sonia Willingham
Graduate Degree: Suffolk, Sawyer
School of Management
Undergraduate Degree: University
of Massachusetts - Amherst
Areas of Interest: Juvenile justice
and policing, fair housing and gentrification
Public Policy Placement: Attorney
General's Office, Civil Rights Division
Project Description: Sonia compiled
statistical information for annual report
and developed brochure and outreach
material for the legal outreach program.
Current Whereabouts: Sonia is currently
in London, studying management policies.
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