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Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

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Sustainability and Impact: A Q&A with Nicki McClung (MPA ’15)

Evans Alum and Aritzia’s Senior Manager of Product Environmental Impact, Nicki McClung (MPA ’15), is leveraging her experience, Evans education, and passion for social justice to positively impact product sustainability and climate strategy.

Can you tell us a little about yourself? 

My name is Nicki and I use she/her pronouns. I grew up in a tiny town in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. I am of mixed Japanese/Irish ancestry, which was a bit of a novelty where I grew up. My undergrad is in accounting and finance, and after a couple of years living and working in Banff, Alberta, South Korea, and Australia and doing some travel in between, I landed in Seattle with my then-boyfriend trying to make it in a new city. 

Fast forward a few years and I left Seattle in the middle of the pandemic to relocate to a small ski town in British Columbia with my husband, two kiddos, and dog. I work remotely with Aritzia, a contemporary women’s wear brand based out of Vancouver, BC, and whenever I can, I’m biking, skiing, or somehow enjoying the outdoors with my family.

What contributed to your decision to pursue an MPA degree? Was there a defining moment in particular?

When I moved to Seattle, I thought I would have no trouble finding a role in my field. With the boom in tech, and my corporate finance and accounting background, surely someone would sponsor me.

My theory proved to be wrong.

I wanted to go back to school to have work eligibility primarily, and someone suggested I look into an MPA. For me, I already had worked in huge corporations, I could make a business case, I could operate easily in the private sector, so an MBA seemed redundant.

The MPA program was like an MBA but with the lens of impact and social justice. Through the wonderful support of the admissions team at Evans, I was able to determine it was the right fit for me, and they helped me through the process.

Looking back on your Evans School experience, what stands out as being particularly impactful while you were a student?

So much changed during my time at Evans, both personally and professionally. There were a lot of social and political changes happening during that time. George Zimmerman had just been acquitted in the homicide of Trayvon Martin, and Michael Brown and Eric Garner were murdered months later. The conversation shifted dramatically I found, especially as a newcomer to the US, from bi-partisan politics to the deep and entrenched racism prevalent in the country (and bi-partisan politics).

I learned so much from my professors and cohort at Evans. I’m still learning, but my time at Evans shifted my perspective. I finally had the opportunity to embrace my own identity and my intersectionality. I began to work through the questions and traumas of my own experience, and it has helped me immensely in my career, as a leader, and community member.

Can you share a bit about the work you are currently doing and what a typical day in your work looks like?

I currently work on the sustainability team at Aritzia. Officially I am the senior manager of product environmental impact, but my scope includes beyond just product. I’ve been working on what our climate strategy looks like, both from a high-level organizational view and then specifically what we are doing along parts of our value chain.

My days are nicely varied, but it’s a lot of internal and external stakeholder engagement – and report and memo writing! Thanks, Evans!

As an MPA working in the private sector, how has your Evans education contributed to your work?

Other than the stakeholder engagement and writing pieces I already mentioned – probably critical thinking! Specifically how to dig into the sources of information, and not cherry-pick data! Embracing the data – good and bad – is so hard to do but Evans taught me how to work through that.

I think something else that I credit Evans for is the reminder to always think about the bigger impact and the danger of inappropriate interventions.

Can you tell us about some of the work/projects/initiatives you are working on or excited about?

I am so excited about some big projects coming up soon. In the past, many teams worked in silos, with different goals and KPIs, that didn’t all track towards a common objective. Now, we are entering a very exciting phase of being able to set a comprehensive environmental impact strategy. I hope to be able to share more soon!

What are 1 or 2 resources that inspire you personally or professionally?

Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth Cline is probably one of the most realistic portrayals of how products are made and what factories are like. It doesn’t tell the whole picture, but it’s a great primer for anyone interested in the industry.

This New York Times piece on organic cotton is super fascinating and extremely relevant to my world: That Organic Cotton T-Shirt May Not Be as Organic As You  Think.

Harvard Business Review’s article The Myth of Sustainable Fashion is a little depressing, but some good guiding principles.

Event Recap | Annual State of School Address & Community Design Session

On March 4th, 2022, the Evans School hosted the first annual State of the School Address where Dean Jodi Sandfort offered her reflections on 2021, the School’s 60th anniversary, and shared insights and encouraged conversation about where we are aiming our efforts and priorities in 2022. This event featured Dean’s Council members Eduardo Campos and Absa Samba as moderators.

After the State of the School Address, community members engaged in a Community Design Session with Dean Sandfort. This session provided an opportunity to continue the conversation and built upon the future state as outlined in the State of the School address. Faculty, staff, student leaders, and community volunteers participated in the dynamic session to crowd-source ideas and resources in service to the people stepping into and leading innovative school projects and initiatives on these topics:

  • Evident WA
  • WA Courts
  • Boating Safety
  • Emergency Response
  • Public Institution Redesign micro-credential
  • Technology & Governance micro-credential
  • International Program in Public Health Leadership (IPPHL)
  • NextGen Civic Leader Corps

To learn more about this exciting event, please read our Community Design Session: Recap Newsletter

Alison Cullen helps strengthen EPA Science Advisory Board peer review process

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In the news this past week was the work of the Environmental Protection Agency ‘s Science Advisory Board, which is chaired by the Daniel J. Evans Endowed Professor of Environmental Policy Alison Cullen. Professor Cullen and the Advisory Board have been working with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan of the Biden-Harris Administration to strengthen processes that “restore opportunities for peer review and strengthen the independence of the board,” as it works with the EPA. Of central importance here is the establishment of a Science Advisory Board Working Group led by Professor Cullen that will meet with EPA staff to provide timely expert advice relevant to scientific and technical information guiding EPA policy, rule-making, or enforcement decisions.  

Links to the EPA news release related to this can be found here, as well as a news story describing this work.  

Sharon Kioko Examines Effectiveness of Balanced Budget Laws 

 

Nearly all states have adopted balanced budget laws that limit spending and borrowing to ensure budgeting processes rely on currently available resources. However, despite their salience in statehouses, there isn’t clear evidence of how balanced budget requirements affect state budgets.

Using a unique mix of budgeting and accounting data, Evans School Associate Professor Sharon Kioko, and University of Georgia Assistant Professor Michelle L. Lofton examine how different types of balanced budget laws affect the health of state budgets. Their study finds evidence that most balanced budget requirements don’t dramatically increase the likelihood a state will report a balanced budget or higher balances in the General Fund. The authors largely attribute these findings to the fact that balanced budget requirements are from the late 1800s and are not well-suited for the complexities in state budgets today. Kioko and Lofton conclude, “without reforms to their structure and operation, [balanced budget requirements] BBRs will likely continue to be ineffective instruments of budget constraints.” Professors Kioko and Lofton published their findings in a recent Public Finance Review article entitled, “Balanced Budget Requirements Revisited.”  

Ensuring Washington Nonprofits Thrive: A Q&A with Elyse Ke’ala Rickard

Elyse Ke’ala Rickard: Membership Manager, Washington Nonprofits

Elyse Ke‘ala Rickard (MPA ’18) is driven by a passion for equity, justice, and service. As the Membership Manager at Washington Nonprofits, she works to ensure that nonprofit organizations in Washington have access to the resources they need to prosper.

What contributed to your decision to pursue a career in support of the public good? Was there a defining moment in particular?

I grew up in the Los Angeles Harbor area in a blue-collar union family, where I learned to identify how different institutions perpetuate racist, sexist, and classist policies and was encouraged to speak out against these injustices. As I moved through my higher education journey, I majored in sociology and knew that I wanted to enter a field that worked on addressing and dismantling inequities through structural change. During my senior year of undergrad, I had a mentor who was also a Pacific Islander woman and a first-generation student who encouraged and supported me in applying to graduate school. Because of the support of my family and other BIPOC mentors, I wanted to pursue a career that builds upon the work of those who came before me and continue to carry on their work of creating a more equitable society.

Can you share a bit about the work you are currently doing and what a typical day in your work looks like?

I was promoted to Membership Manager at Washington Nonprofits earlier this month and have been with the organization since August 2021. Right now, my work focuses on fostering relationships with our current members and connecting with other nonprofits across the state who may benefit from being a member of our organization. My daily work is composed of providing assistance to our members (that could range from membership renewals, answering questions about member benefits, etc.), promoting our programs and events, and working with colleagues on how to increase access to memberships for nonprofits across the state.

What’s one thing you want everyone to know about your work?

I believe that listening to my intuition has helped me to carve the professional path that I am currently on. If you are doing work that you do not feel connected to or does not align with your values or goals, do not be afraid to speak out or seek out new opportunities that will allow you to grow.

Looking back on your time as an Evans student, do you have any memorable experiences that really stand out to you?

To be honest, I’ve had a variety of experiences at Evans. I met people who are now lifelong friends, learned skills that I sought out, and conducted an impactful capstone with colleagues, which is currently being used in a lawsuit to address racial and gender inequities in the Seattle Parks and Recreation department.

I also faced barriers that graduate students from historically marginalized communities must navigate, including speaking out against curriculum and practices that perpetuate white supremacy. I remember a meeting that I and four other students held with a professor to discuss how they framed the Department of Justice’s report for the City of Baltimore’s police department—their framing felt insensitive to BIPOC students because they did not want to address the historical impact of race and policing. I remember having another meeting with a white professor who had a kapa moe (Native Hawaiian quilt) in their office who was teaching about Indigenous environmental policy who told me they would not, and did not, want to discuss Native Hawaiian environmental issues. However, despite these difficulties, I was able to connect and build relationships with other students, faculty, and staff who did advocate and support for marginalized people in our program and that is something that I will always remember from my time as a student at Evans.

How does your Evans education inform how you approach your work today? Are there 2 or 3 things that directly impact your work?

My time at Evans has heavily influenced my career path. I work in an organization that focuses on providing nonprofit education courses across the state, which I feel is a continuation of my own education as well. I have worked on projects where I utilized my analysis and evaluation skills, ranging from implementing new systems, improving administrative procedures, and conducting policy research. Finally, the most important skill that I have learned from Evans is project management because I am collaborating with other people and entities frequently, which includes keeping track of several tasks and deadlines, as I did in most classes during my time as a student.

In what ways are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion part of the work you have done and continue doing?

As a mixed Native Hawaiian/Latina woman, holding these identities radicalized me from a young age to speak about racism and other societal inequities. During my undergraduate years, I took part in student organizing around a variety of issues and worked in positions that focused on providing support to other BIPOC students.

While at Evans, I became involved in Evans People of Color and worked with other Student Interest Groups (SIGS)–later known as the Coalition–to organize around addressing issues within the Evans school and public policy issues beyond the campus. I am proud of my colleagues, the alumni who laid down the work before us, and the current students who are continuing the work to create a more equitable environment for Evans ’students and beyond.

In the work that I currently do, there are a lot of nonprofits in Washington State that are doing amazing things in their communities, especially those whose work is guided and led by marginalized communities. However, there are several barriers that these organizations face, which can hinder their growth and ability to provide programs or services they are offering to their constituents. Some of these barriers can range from lack of financial resources to unclear guidance from local, state, and federal partners. I hope that in my role I can serve as a point of contact for people to access the resources they may need so that these organizations can continue to focus on serving and thriving in their communities.

What are 1 or 2 resources (books, articles, podcasts, websites, TEDtalks, etc.) that inspire you personally or professionally?

I recently finished “From a Native Daughter” by the late Dr. Haunani Kay-Trask. As someone who is a mixed Native Hawaiian woman, I have felt, seen, and heard many of the things discussed in her book, especially in the latter half, where Dr. Haunani Kay-Trask discusses her experiences with the University of Hawai’i. I feel inspired that her work remains relevant in 2022 and will continue to do so beyond my lifetime. I am also very into listening to podcasts and a favorite of mine that I recommend to folks is Code Switch by NPR. Every week they focus on a different story, connect the story to larger themes of race, and connect listeners to resources they can follow up on if they want to learn more about that week’s topic.

Evans Faculty Crystal Hall Receives Prestigious Career Service Award

 

Evans Associate Professor Crystal Hall has received the Society for Judgment and Decision Making’s (SDJM) 2021-22 Castellan Service Award. This award recognizes Professor Hall’s many important leadership and professional contributions to SDJM.

Of particular importance is Professor Hall’s service for the past two years as chair of SDJM’s first-ever Diversity & Inclusion Committee. In that role, she has centered equity and inclusion within SDJM’s work to better support scholars from underrepresented and historically excluded backgrounds.

Upon receiving the Castellan Service Award, Professor Hall noted: “SJDM has been my primary academic community. And, despite its interdisciplinary nature, it has historically fallen short in the creation of a diverse community of scholars. I hope some of the deep structural changes we are pursuing as a professional association will result in an inclusive environment that will be reflected in both the nature of our research and the way that research is applied to a wide range of social challenges.”

Professor Hall’s leadership within SDJM echoes her field-leading research and many contributions to the Evans School. Associate Dean for Research and Engagement Scott W. Allard underscored, “Professor Crystal Hall is a singular scholarly voice challenging behavioral science to confront structural racism. Her work within the Evans School also has been integral to our school’s commitments to promote equity, address racial bias, and train the next generation of public service leaders to dismantle systems of oppression.”

A Q&A with Sarah E. Charnes (PhD ’21)

Sarah Charnes finished her Ph.D. at the Evans School in December 2021, where her dissertation research focused on food assistance and food insecurity. The Evans School caught up with Sarah recently to talk about key findings from her research. 

Your dissertation focuses on food assistance policy and food hardship in the U.S. — what drew you to those policy research areas? 

Before starting my Ph.D. at the Evans School, from 2006 to 2013, I worked as a macroeconomist in the Office of Economic Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in DC. While there, I worked on a wide variety of topics, including income inequality. When I decided to return to school for a Ph.D., it was with the intention of taking a deeper dive into issues of income inequality. At Evans my work around inequality initially focused on social policy and means-tested public benefits. Over time, I realized that my long-standing interests in food behaviors and my training in holistic health counseling gave me unique insights into the realities of food assistance and food insecurity – timely social policy topics.  

Given your work around food assistance policy, what are some of the biggest misconceptions Americans have around food assistance and food hardship? 

First, I would say the common belief that food insecurity “isn’t a problem in the United States” and that it’s only a problem in developing countries, which means it’s not a problem worth addressing through public policy solutions. To the contrary, the most recent estimate by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service estimates 10.5 percent of U.S. households are food insecure. That translates into 13.8 million households, which is a large number. The national food insecurity rate reached as high as 14.6 percent during the Great Recession. Those estimates are only the tip of the iceberg, which make food insecurity in the U.S. a problem worth investigating and addressing. 

There are many other misconceptions around food assistance and food hardship that come to mind. What I have observed over the past several years is that food assistance and food hardship is a space where people often have a hard time getting past their own personal beliefs  – especially if they haven’t experienced food insecurity or witnessed it first-hand. For example, if someone becomes convinced that SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the modern-day food stamp program) recipients are prone to commit fraud, it can be very challenging (if not impossible) to change that person’s mind. In reality, fraud is very uncommon. 

Another misconception is that there is a one-size-fits-all, or simple, solution to food insecurity. Food insecurity arises out of a wide array of risk factors operating at different tiers. Short of creating a form of universal income for food consisting of an adequate benefit level, it seems likely that there will need to be a continuation of a rather complicated, multi-pronged approach to tackling the problem of food insecurity through public-, nonprofit-, and private-sector efforts. That said, the idea of universal income for food has gotten some traction recently, so it’s possible that a policy window for this could eventually emerge. 

As you reflect on the dissertation project, which research findings stand out to you as really important for current debates around food policy? 

My dissertation involved three papers that covered a fairly broad range of topics related to food insecurity and food and nutrition assistance policy. The first paper evaluated a program designed to streamline the SNAP application process for recipients of Supplemental Security Income and found evidence suggesting that different modes of implementation for the program were more effective for some subpopulations than others – a point that does not always seem to be the primary focus when interventions are designed to try to improve access to means-tested benefit programs. The second paper tested the extent to which a relatively holistic measure of food access moderates the high degree of association between household disability and food insecurity status. Here, I find that access does not account for much of this relationship (Note: this paper has been accepted for publication in Physiology & Behavior and can be found online here.) The third paper examined acquisitions of free food – food having no price attached to it, such as meals from family or friends – as a function of the amount of time that has passed since a SNAP household received its last benefit payment. In this paper, I find little variability in the acquisition of free food across the SNAP month. This has potential implications for current debates about the behavioral mechanisms driving what is referred to as the “SNAP cycle,” where benefits are typically redeemed in their entirety within the first few days of receipt, rather than being consumed in a smooth fashion across the month as some might expect. I’m excited to dive deeper into the third paper, in particular, as I progress forward with the portions of the dissertation that I have not yet attempted to publish. 

Prior to finishing your Ph.D. at Evans, you worked in the Department of Treasury. Given your experiences in both worlds – how can researchers do a better job of presenting and translating their research for policy audiences? 

Presenting and translating research to policymakers really comes down to one skill: learning how to say what you want to say within 30 seconds. By “30 seconds,” I truly mean 30 seconds. That is MUCH easier said than done – and a skill that does not always seem to be very highly valued within academia. 

I think a great way to practice is to create two or three “highlights” (i.e., brief bullet/talking points) about one’s research – as is asked for by several peer-reviewed academic journals upon submission. Bonus: this encourages clear thinking all around, which is never a bad thing. 

What’s up next for you? 

Currently – meaning, from January through June 2022 – I’ll be an instructor in the Evans School’s MPA program. Specifically, I’m teaching both of the quantitative analysis courses in the first-year core course sequence, with which I was heavily involved during my Ph.D. (as both a pre-doctoral lecturer and a teaching assistant). I’m really happy to be working with this year’s first-year cohort. I’m also currently on the job market for longer-term employment. Please cross your fingers for me! 

Fingers crossed!  It sounds like there are lots of good things in the future.  Thanks for chatting! 

Thank you! 

Diversity and Talent in Tech: A Q&A with Njeri Thande (MPA ’19)

Njeri Thande (MPA ’19) believes in asking the right questions, approaching problems with precision, and engaging in generative work, especially when working for people’s success and wellbeing. As Leap Business Program Manager at Microsoft, Njeri focuses on increasing non-traditional talent pathways and employment opportunities in tech.

What contributed to your decision to pursue a career in support of the public good? Was there a defining moment in particular? 

I think I’ve always been interested in work related to the public good. However, I started my professional career in the private sector after college right after the 2008 financial crisis. At that time, I was more concerned with being gainfully employed, so I didn’t feel like I was in a solid position to scrutinize an organization’s mission. I think I began feeling motivated towards a public good-focused career when, while working at a tech company, I was also volunteering and taking on side projects related to community building and conversations on racial identity. I was feeling pulled to the latter work and, long story short, decided it was time to go back to school. I soon after applied to Evans MPA program. 

Can you share a bit about the work you are currently doing and what a typical day in your work looks like? 

I work for Microsoft Leap Apprenticeship Program as a Business Program Manager. The program was founded 5 years ago as a means of diversifying the talent pipeline into tech with what we call “unconventional talent.” Unconventional talent comprises self-taught learners and bootcamp grads, parents and caregivers returning to the workforce, and community college graduates. Individuals apply for the program and successful applicants are welcomed into a cohort for a 16-week apprenticeship.

Part of my typical day involves co-leading the operations of a cohort—that work looks different every day since our program operates in phases. My work includes training sponsoring teams to understand their roles and responsibilities, working with our learning and development team to develop a best-in-class virtual classroom experience, coaching our mentors and managers through the various program milestones, and providing support for our apprentices. We work with hundreds of stakeholders to run our program. The other part of my typical day is co-leading initiatives related to scaling and continuous improvement.

In what ways are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion part of the work you have done and continue doing? 

Before Evans, I had the pleasure of co-hosting community conversations on the intersections of race and parts of community life (race and sports; race and the workplace), which was something I really enjoyed. While a student at Evans I joined the Committee for Equity and Inclusion, where I had the pleasure of doing research on belonging with Professor Jurcevic, and supported peers organizing around inclusion and belonging. Later, I had the pleasure of leading a small conference called The Good Trouble Conference, which was a way of convening peers doing work across diversity, equity, and inclusion to share what they were up to and find like-minded community. The phrase “diversity, equity, and inclusion” can be challenging because so many of us hold different worldviews, are interested in different outcomes, and don’t always have a shared theory of change. The work in convening the “Good Trouble” space was valuable to see the range of people’s work and how they were thinking through and engaging in deep issues and concepts like liberation, institutional change, and worldbuilding.

If there was one thing you’d want everyone to know about your work, what would it be? 

The program I work for was founded to diversify tech and capture a talent pool that has often been ignored. I have a lot of respect for our program. And I think it’s important to name that our impact is specifically centered on employment–and that is no small thing. While we create pathways to employment opportunities and train our company to understand the unconventional talent we’re developing and onboarding, we still need the support of other company entities to fulfill the mission of building equitable practices in other areas of the work experience. It’s important to think holistically about DEI in the workplace.

Looking back on your Evans School experience, what stands out as being particularly impactful while you were a student

The Good Trouble Conference was deeply important for me. There are so many interesting, creative, and impactful things that Evans students are doing and it was a pleasure to be able to collect a small snapshot of that work. This field can feel tough as we weather so many crises in our nation and world, but it was such an amazing reminder that good, generative work (even if challenging and uncomfortable) is also being done in our world—and by our peers, no less.

I think being in generative spaces like those also help me continue the practice of unlearning and revising so that as I learn, I can continue to show up with better tools and resources to approach issues of social change.

How does your Evans education inform how you approach your work today? 

My Evans education has provided me with a lot of  – particularly management and leadership skills. I’m better at asking the right questions and precise in approaching problems that have to do with the wellbeing and success of groups of people. No matter where I work, that’s my focus.

Is there a resource you can share that inspires you?

Podcast: “Two Acclaimed Writers on the Art of Revising Your Life”, The Ezra Klein Show. I think Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom and Kiese Laymon are great on every podcast they join. What is so excellent about this podcast episode is that they are in conversation together and they talk about the brave and necessary work of being critically self-reflexive and maintaining a practice of revising the way that you think and show up in your communities and your work.

Evans Faculty Join Prestigious Journal Editorial Boards

Reflecting a longstanding tradition of Evans School faculty serving on the editorial boards of leading academic peer-reviewed journals, two Evans faculty members recently joined the boards of two top journals in the field of public administration. Professors Seba Bishu and Benjamin Brunjes recently accepted appointments on the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JPART) Board of Editors. Professor Bishu also recently joined the Public Administration Review (PAR) editorial board. Much thanks and congratulations to Professors Bishu and Brunjes for their service! 

Nonprofits show resilience and initiative during second year of pandemic

Shelves of food in food bank

UW News

More than a year into the pandemic, Washington nonprofits have shown resiliency in serving their communities and staying afloat, a study from the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the University of Washington shows.

The new study explores not only how the pandemic economy impacted donations to, and the operations of, charitable organizations, but also how nonprofits responded to the simultaneous call for racial justice.

“The dual pandemic created challenges and opportunities for funding, service delivery and operations,” said Emily Finchum-Mason, a doctoral candidate in public policy and one of the report’s authors. “Changes made by nonprofits and funders will bring long-term benefits in terms of access to services and a greater focus on addressing racial inequities.ut the short-term sacrifices — especially for smaller, BIPOC-led and -serving organizations — were significant. And those sacrifices are ongoing.”

The study marks the second phase of research into the effects of the pandemic on Washington’s nonprofit sector. The first phase, published in fall 2020, surveyed more than 200 organizations and showed how donations were down, community needs were up, and called on governments and other institutions to step up their support.

Read more.