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Wolfle Action Lab @EPIC

The Wolfle Action Lab @EPIC is an important way to engage faculty in the school’s mission to “host communities to co-create solutions to pressing societal problems.” It’s premised on the idea that dialogue and exchange across diverse fields of expertise is necessary for the development and adoption of solutions. The Action Lab draws upon the skilled facilitation tools of EPIC – Evans Policy Innovation Collaborative – staff to host sessions where researchers, practitioners, those with expertise from lived experiences, and policymakers engage in meaningful dialogue across differences. More than simply sharing ideas, research findings, and perspectives, Wolfle Action Labs are intended to develop collaborative planning for program or system redesign, implementation strategies that can be administered in real-time, and feasible policy recommendations. The Wolfle Action Lab convenings and projects operates consistently with the Evans School’s values of equity, courage, and public service.

Crystal Hall speaks to circle of participants

On April 5, 2024, Evans School faculty members Crystal Hall and Ines Jurcevic and the EPIC team hosted the inaugural Wolfle Action Lab convening at El Centro de la Raza. They gathered with people from community-based organizations, academia, and government to spark learning, share promising practices, and make authentic connections that seed relationships among people leading equity and behavioral science to enable community-informed change in the public interest. Throughout the day they engaged in various small group discussions around the following questions:

When and why did you step into this work?
What is the environment you are working in?
What are the challenges you confront in trying to change the way you work to better incorporate an equity lens?
What successes have you experienced bringing an equity or behavioral science lens to your work?
What are opportunities you see in front of you to integrate your commitments to equity-based work with behavioral science?
How does your own Identity shape your ability to lead change in your context?

These conversations centered around working to effect systems change were followed by a group teach and discussion on Two Loops – a framework for describing how systems rise and fall, as well as types of roles that often occur as this process unfolds. They wrapped up the afternoon with another conversation process called Pro Action Café, where participants had the opportunity to call on the collective wisdom of the group with calls, questions, or projects they wanted to workshop.

Interested in learning more?

Read the recap newsletter.
Check out the Public Service ReDesign Toolkit for tools and methods that were applied to host conversations at the inaugural Wolfle Action Lab @EPIC convening here.
Collaborate with our EPIC policy lab!

Alumni Spotlight: Eduardo & Erica Campos, EMPA ’15

Eduardo and Erica Campos chat with a fellow Evans event attendee while holding glasses of champagne

With the flurry of spring EMPA applications underway here at the Evans School, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate and thank two amazingly committed EMPA alumni: Eduardo and Erica Campos.

Eduardo Campos and his wife, Erica Campos, came to the U.S. from Brazil in 2003 to work for Microsoft. They quickly fell in love with the U.S. and realized it was where they wanted to put down roots. “As global executives, we were encouraged to pursue a business degree,” said Eduardo. “But we decided that was not our purpose — we wanted to have a broad impact in the community.”

Both Eduardo and Erica were raised by families dedicated to public service. Erica’s father worked for a utilities department, and her mother was a public-school teacher and principal. Eduardo’s mother was also a teacher, and his father spent 35-years as a tax auditor in Brazil. The values of integrity and compassion, and a commitment to listening to diverse perspectives have driven their lives.

“And that’s why we chose the Evans School,” said Eduardo. “Beyond critical thinking skill and academic rigor, the faculty helped us learn how to be better human beings, better professionals, and better citizens. And we practiced ways to compromise and bridge the divide on issues.”

In 2015, the Camposes graduated from the Evans School’s EMPA program. And in 2022, after a long journey, they became U.S. citizens, voting in their first election that November. “It fulfilled our dream, to be able to participate in an important democratic system,” said Eduardo.

Right after graduation, the Camposes decided they wanted to remain involved at the Evans School and became engaged volunteers and supporters. “We wanted to help other people realize their dreams to serve the community,” said Eduardo, who has served on various Evans School boards including the Advisory Committee since 2017 and the Dean’s Council since 2021. Erica is a member of the Evans School’s Community of Ambassadors.

“As Dean of the Evans School, I’ve had the privilege to see the impact that Erica and Eduardo have made here at the school—their strategic guidance, their support for our campaign to renovate Parrington, and their hands-on partnerships with our programs, like hosting our Junior Summer Institute scholars for a site visit to Microsoft,” said Jodi Sandfort. “We thank them for their unwavering commitment to our mission and the next generation of leaders.”

Help spread the word about the Evans School’s EMPA, a work-compatible leadership program designed for mid-career public service professionals! The deadline to join the autumn 2024 cohort is May 15, 2024.

Evans School Maintains Top-Ten Ranking

U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Graduate Schools ranks the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance among the best schools in the nation and the world.  We are proud that our perennially ranked, top-ten graduate program continues to demonstrate the relevance of our curriculum, the influence of our alumni and the impactful research of our faculty. Having held a top-ten ranking concurrently for more than 10 years is a powerful reminder that the impact we make is real.

Four of our specializations were also ranked in the top ten: Environmental Policy (2), Nonprofit Management (8), Social Policy (8), and Public Finance & Budgeting (10).  

Evans School Dean Jodi Sandfort noted: “Our strong national reputation is an important resource we draw upon in setting the direction of public policy education in our country at this time. Our focus upon democratizing public policy and inspiring public service is being recognized as the next generation of strategies for public policy education. Our students benefit from our engagement with important questions and support for innovating new approaches to policy and management. Through these strategies, we are working to address the inequities built into our institutions and spark a shared belief in the sacred work of public service.” 

These rankings are released annually and are based on reputation and respect among peer institutions.

View the full rankings

Event Recap | Evans In Government Network Launch Event

A colorful word cloud with different shades of purple and gold with over 60 issues and topics ranging in size

The Evans in Government Network, co-chaired by Vanessa Kritzer, President of the Redmond City Council, and Janice Zahn, Bellevue City Councilmember, recently launched at Parrington Hall on March 27.

This initiative aims to create a community among Evans School alumni who work in government, including government staff and elected officials. The primary goals are to strengthen professional ties, offer support in addressing contemporary challenges, and foster pathways to public service by engaging with emerging leaders. The launch event gathered a core group of engaged network members to collaboratively design future focus and engagement efforts. Using the World Café method, participants convened to network, build social ties, and discuss pressing topics to harness collective wisdom. Through these efforts, the network seeks to facilitate meaningful connections and contribute to the advancement of public service endeavors.

Join our Evans in Government listserv.

Review Resources

Evans In Government Network Team

Janice Zahn, EMAP ’12

Bellevue City Councilmember

Vanessa Kritzer, MPA ’17

President, Redmond City Council

Justyn Jacobs

Alumni and Community Engagement Manager
Evans School

Dean Sandfort named to The Volcker Alliance Deans Summit Steering Committee

Dean Jodi Sandfort has been named to The Volcker Alliance Deans Summit Steering Committee. The Deans Summit provides a space for deans and directors of the nation’s schools of public service to shed competitive posture in favor of collective action, and is a powerful vehicle to propel innovation among schools and the field of public service education writ large.

The work of the Deans Summit has led to the creation of several national programs, including the Next Generation Service Corps. The Evans School in partnership with Undergraduate Academic Affairs launched the NextGen Civic Leadership Corps at UW in 2022, and it now serves undergraduate students on all three campuses who are passionate about public service, community engagement, and civic leadership.

Learn more about the Dean’s Summit.

Alumni Spotlight: Yulan Kim, Ph.D. ’23

Yulan Kim finished her Ph.D. at the Evans School in December 2023, with dissertation work focused on advancing scholarly understanding of collaborative governance. The Evans School caught up with Yulan after winter break to learn more about her dissertation research.

Evans School: Congratulations on your dissertation defense. Your project pushes our conceptual and empirical understandings of collaborative governance. Explain why collaborative governance is such a critical topic in the study of public management today.

Yulan: Collaborative governance is an increasingly popular policy making and implementation strategy that can address problems that do not fit neatly within organizational or jurisdictional boundaries. If managed properly, it provides added benefits of fostering citizen trust and participation, promoting equitable service provision (which I explore in my dissertation) as well as greater legitimacy, procedural transparency, and responsiveness (which is established in the literature).

The study of collaborative governance is important because of its broad applicability as a versatile governance arrangement that can be used in conjunction with other policy tools. In this sense, it is highly relevant to how we address many of the public management problems we face today. However, there are still challenges to ensuring that collaborative governance is properly designed and implemented, which is why it requires the continued attention of public management scholars.

Evans School: Your dissertation is an innovative mixed methods study of South Korean Social Security Consultive Boards. How do these boards operate and why was a mixed methods approach advantageous in this instance?

Yulan: My dissertation focuses on mandated collaborative governance, and South Korean Social Security Consultive Bodies (SSCBs) are a perfect example of this type of arrangement. SSCBs are established at all local jurisdictions in South Korea through a legislative mandate. They act as platforms that bring together public, nonprofit, and private actors to create and implement regional social security policies. Their functions range from high-level decision making, such as establishing short and long-term regional social security plans, to the direct delivery of services to citizens.

My research questions around SSCBs require both the identification of causal mechanisms as well as understanding what drives such patterns. So, using a large-N survey supplemented by interviews to collect both quantitative and qualitative data helped me paint both the big picture as well as gain a detailed understanding of what drives these changes.

Evans School: Central to your dissertation is discussion of authentic collaborative governance and trust. Why is the concept of “trust” key to understanding the presence of authentic or meaningful collaborative governance?

Yulan: My decision to use trust as an indicator of authentic collaboration is guided by theory. Fostering trust is crucial to the development of collaborative dynamics that are defining features of collaborative governance. Trust as both an input and output of collaborative governance has also been confirmed by numerous empirical research as well.

I wanted to evaluate whether authentic collaboration could be generated even in mandated settings where collaboration is imposed upon actors. Top-down arrangements risk becoming ceremonial institutions as the participants may not share motivations to engage with each other. In the context of SSCBs, I track whether trust, an output of collaborative governance, changes over time to understand whether actors have engaged in authentic collaboration. I find that even in mandated SSCBs, participants show enhanced trust over time, suggesting that collaboration is taking place.

Evans School: Your dissertation project also examines how collaborative governance can enhance equity in policy making settings. What are some takeaways from your dissertation that are relevant to those engaging in collaborative governance across a host of different settings?

Yulan: Collaborative governance is often used for the co-creation of public services within communities. However, collaborative governance requires the investment of time and resources from participants. This means that the ability of local participants to commit resources can lead to variation in the quality and quantity of services co-created across communities. Research suggests affluent communities are better able to pool such resources. I investigate whether collaborative governance perpetuates or mitigates inequity in access to public services across communities. My findings highlight the relative importance of internal management over resources, suggesting that despite resource disparities across communities, collaborative governance can serve as a strategy to co-create public services in a way that mitigates inequities in access to public services.

Evans School: What’s up next?

Yulan: I have joined Ocean Nexus as a postdoctoral fellow in January 2024. Ocean Nexus is a network of scholars working to promote equitable ocean governance. In this position, I am working alongside a team of Evans researchers who are on a mission to introduce public policy and management concepts and frameworks to ocean scholars who seek to produce more equitable, policy relevant research. In the short term, I want to focus on applying policy process and public management concepts in ocean research through collaborations. In the long term and more ambitiously, I want to explore how collaborative governance, which is mainly researched in domestic contexts, can inform transnational ocean governance. I studied IR and comparative politics before coming to Evans school, so I look forward to synthesizing such training with my expertise in public management to do so.

Evans School: Congrats on this postdoctoral fellowship! It will be fun to see how your work evolves in the coming year!

Yulan: Thanks!

Ocean Nexus Fellows Program

2024 Ocean Nexus fellows standing together — 2024 Ocean Nexus fellows with Dr. Yoshi Ota (far right), director of Ocean Nexus Center and EMPA alum, Class of 2019

Bringing Policy Perspective to Next Generation of Scholars and Researchers

The Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center at the University of Washington is a global leader in bringing justice and sustainability to the oceans for future generations. Led by Dr. Yoshi Ota, director of the Center and Evans EMPA alum, Ocean Nexus uses a unique interdisciplinary approach that combines social science and governance research to study the changes, responses, and solutions to societal issues pertaining to the world’s oceans.

At the Evans School, we are fortunate to be in the fourth year of hosting a policy research lab that aspires to bring a policy perspective to the Ocean Nexus community’s ocean governance research. During the 2023-24 academic year the Evans School team, in partnership with Ota, includes Dr. Yulan Kim and Dr. Austin Sell as postdoctoral scholars, research assistant Ph.D. student Mark Nepf, and Evans School faculty member Dr. Grant Blume as the team lead and Deputy Director for Policy Analysis.

A central objective of the Ocean Nexus Center is to support the development of the field’s next generation of scholars and researchers. Each year, a group of scholars and researchers from around the globe join the Ocean Nexus community as fellows, and a highlight of each year’s fellows program is when everyone gathers at the UW from around the world for a week in January. This gathering is an opportunity to engage with each other, build community, and focus the fellows’ attention on how their research can gain more traction in a variety of policy contexts.

This year’s fellows program incorporated a variety of perspectives and expertise from the Evans School community that spanned the boundaries of policy, management, and governance research. Ota framed much of the week around the need to bring a more critical equity-focused perspective to research on the governance of the world’s oceans.

Blume also worked with the fellows throughout the week to define and map out policy problems, identify the contours between policy problems and management problems, and explore how applying a framework for policy tools can expand one’s research agenda on a particular policy intervention. The fellows were also fortunate to work with and learn from guests who brought policy-focused knowledge and expertise to the gathering.

Dr. Grant Blume Presenting at 2024 Ocean Nexus Fellows Gathering — Dr. Grant Blume at 2024 Fellows Gathering

Evans faculty member Dr. Steve Page, for instance, worked with the fellows on a day-long curriculum that challenged them to imagine how, within an ocean governance policy context, adaptive leadership strategies could bring their research more squarely into the policymaking process. Ocean Nexus postdocs Sell and Kim presented highlights from their dissertation research to illustrate how policy and management research is designed and implemented. Dr. Kiana Scott (Evans MPA alum) shared her deep experience in the field of political communications with the fellows to cultivate an understanding of how they could harness the potential of strategic communications to increase the impact of their research in policymaking circles. During a culminating talk delivered by Dr. Henry Yu, Associate Professor of History at the University of British Columbia, he challenged fellows to consider the racialized nature of higher education and the disciplines in which they work with an eye to disrupting racialized narratives in their research.

The annual Ocean Nexus fellows program is an exciting opportunity to highlight the depth and breadth of the policy, management, and governance expertise within the Evans School community. After an engaging, rigorous week of deep thinking the Ocean Nexus fellows leave Seattle equipped with scholarly strategies to effectively leverage their research to bring about a more equitable future for the world’s oceans.

Alumni Spotlight: Allie Tripp, MPA ’15

We recently connected with Evans alum Allie Trip, who just published, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Seattle. She shared her journey from AmericaCorps VISTA to Evans where she focused on nonprofit strategy. After graduation she found her way to the Washington Trails Association and becoming an author.

What inspired you to pursue a career in public service?

I wouldn’t say there was a singular moment that inspired me to go into public service but an accumulation of family and lived experiences. My privileged upbringing insulated me from much of the hardships of life in America, though my parents ensured I didn’t take for granted (or ignore) that privilege and encouraged me to consider my impact on the world at large as much as any other criteria when considering potential life paths. Throughout all four years of undergrad, I was a part of a volunteer program where I tutored middle and high school students once a week. The week-to-week experiences were immensely enjoyable, but I was challenged by how the program was managed and the students were treated and by the time I was a senior, I was interested in being a contributor to better managed mission-driven work after graduation.

Allie Tripp holding her new book with the Seattle skyline in the background

What brought you to the Evans School?

I spent several years after undergrad as an AmeriCorps VISTA at a nonprofit in Boston. It was a great place to work as a young professional, dedicated to empowering young people through outdoor sports and leadership, and just small enough that I was welcomed in rooms where strategic decisions were discussed. I realized quickly that, while my liberal arts degree had given me great perspective, I didn’t quite have the language or formal training in program strategy, budgets, or program evaluation that I would need if I was to achieve my hopes of making a difference in my community through my work. As someone who had grown up in various locations along the eastern seaboard, I wanted to apply to graduate schools on the west coast for a change of scenery. I visited the Evans School while in Seattle visiting a friend and immediately fell in love with the UW campus (and Seattle as a whole). I was excited about the school’s dedicated nonprofit management courses and spent the next several months crossing my fingers that I would get in.

Can you talk about your professional journey since graduation and how your MPA helped you get there?

Figuring out how to live in Seattle on a nonprofit salary, saddled with student loan debt, is not for the faint at heart. I had a meticulous job search methodology following graduation from the Evans School and a limited window to land my dream job (in nonprofit strategy). When that time ran out, I opened up my search criteria to roles that were more fundraising-focused, an area in which I had a lot of experience thanks to my time as a VISTA and one of the part-time jobs I held while at Evans. I was thrilled to be hired at Washington Trails Association in September 2015 as their Annual Fund & Events Manager. I spent 2.5 years at the rapidly growing organization supporting their seasonal fundraising campaigns, corporate partnerships and events, while finding additional professional development opportunities within that work (and external to it) to flex my MPA muscles. I also spent a lot of time continuing to invest in my professional network and the nonprofit sector as a whole, as a board member of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Seattle.

When the organization created a new position dedicated to cross-functional strategic planning and coordination, I jumped at the chance to make the move. I’ve now spent almost 6 years as Strategic Initiatives Senior Manager, and I couldn’t be happier to have a role that touches every corner of our work on behalf of all who love the outdoors. I still refer back to lessons learned from the Evans School on a regular basis, in particular the management curriculum, policy analysis, and program evaluation.

You’ve just published a book on hidden Seattle. As a transplant, what made you stay and how did that influence your book?

While Seattle itself (and the physical beauty of the surrounding landscapes) played a huge role in my decision to seek employment after Evans here, I would actually say it is the community that the Evans School gave me that played a larger role in my decision to stay. I continue to be deeply connected to individuals I met through my MPA and am really proud to see what they all are accomplishing out in the world almost 9 years after we graduated.

As for the book, in addition to my love of time spent outdoors, I also love to travel. Nothing (in my opinion) can make a bigger difference in enjoying a new destination than a personal recommendation from someone who loves that place. The chance to help shape someone’s experience for the better while they visit Seattle through my book was a truly exciting one. I even applied some MPA skills (criteria selection is important in all aspects of life!) when selecting places to feature in the book.

What’s one hidden place in Seattle that you’d recommend to a newly arrived MPA student?

Given that West Seattle is home to roughly 1/6th of Seattle’s population, calling it a hidden secret would be pretty funny. But, for new Seattle residents (especially UW-based ones!) I think it can be an overlooked area. Riding the water taxi to West Seattle is an affordable and fun way to get out on the water. Rent a kayak on the other side or enjoy a drink and great eats at Marination Mai Kai. Free shuttles can also take you on to the heart of the West Seattle Junction neighborhood or the fun beach vibes of Alki. You can find these and many more ideas in my book, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Seattle, available online and at many great local bookstores like Elliott Bay Book Company on Capitol Hill (another must-visit for new Seattle residents). I also wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t encourage all newly arrived MPA students to download WTA’s app, Trailblazer, to help them find their first of many favorite hikes in Seattle and Washington at large!

Event Recap | 2024 State of School Address

On January 26, 2024, the Evans School hosted the annual State of the School Address. Dean’s Council Member and MPA/MPH Candidate Tatiana Brown offered the welcome and land and labor acknowledgement. Dean Jodi Sandfort then shared her reflections on 2023 and looked forward to 2024.

Watch 2024 State of the School

Watch 2023 Highlights Video

Evans School remembers the life and legacy of Nancy Evans

The Evans School joins our community and state in mourning the passing of Nancy Bell Evans – a champion for civic life in our region and tireless advocate for the UW and the Evans School. A leader and innovator, Nancy served as a founder and chair of the Friends of Cancer Lifeline, national chair of the First Ladies’ Mental Health Month, founding trustee of Planned Parenthood of Olympia, and founder of the Governor’s Mansion Foundation, amongst other roles.

As President Ana Mari Cauce shared in a statement, “Nancy was a true civic leader who dedicated her life to helping others, including UW students and the state we all serve. She was not only a supporter of the UW’s Evans School, she was an inspiration to the many students who will follow her footsteps into public service. Nancy’s advocacy for early childhood education has benefited countless Washington children, and her work supporting health care – from cancer care to public health efforts – has helped so many people live healthier, longer lives. And Nancy’s support for the arts and historic preservation, including preserving the Governor’s Mansion, has brought so much joy and beauty to our state. Nancy’s passion was boundless and she combined intelligence with heart in everything she did.”

Dean Jodi Sandfort added her own reflections, “As a newcomer to the Pacific Northwest, Nancy welcomed me with open arms and shared poignant stories about nonprofits and politics, here and in D.C. She and her family represent the best tradition of deep dialogue and discussion that helps us work across our differences for the good of us all.”

Dan and Nancy Evans in front of Parrington Hall

Nancy played an instrumental role in advancing the mission and impact of the Evans School. She supported the launch the Nancy Bell Evans Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy (NBEC), which elevated the nonprofit and social impact sectors through research, education, and leadership development. For nearly two decades, NBEC provided high-quality leadership in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, including graduating more than 300 nonprofit leaders from our Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute (NELI) and Propel Leadership Institute. The legacy of that work is now being continued through the Evans Policy Innovation Collaborative.

Nancy served as co-chair for the Campaign for Evans, fueling the transformational remodel of Parrington Hall that provides learning and convening spaces for our faculty and students so that they can seek innovative solutions to the world’s most challenging public problems. Nancy’s legacy lives on in many ways at the Evans School, including the Nancy Bell Evans Endowment for Excellence, which continues to propel research, education, and outreach programs that support service and civic engagement.

Nancy and Dan Evans with film producer John Sharify and Dean Jodi Sandfort, 2022

In conjunction with school’s 60th anniversary in 2022, Dean Sandfort commissioned a short documentary about Dan Evans’ career, of which Nancy was a key player. Nancy was the youngest First Lady in Washington’s history and advanced several causes during her husband’s three-term tenure, including the restoration and preservation of the Governor’s Mansion.

“Nancy’s commitment to our school and the UW community are simply remarkable. She always had a thoughtful insight, a good question, and word of support,” shared Dean Sandfort. “She so enjoyed interacting with students and felt proud that the public service legacy of her family was institutionalized at a world-class School at the University of Washington.” We are deeply grateful for the transformational impact she has had during her lifetime and the legacy that will live on through our programs and people she has touched.

The Evans School community extends our deepest condolences to Nancy’s family as we hold dear the memory of her years of service and dedication to inspiring public service in all.