Athens, Ga. – Several UGA graduate students have been named Presidential Management Fellows for 2008. The PMF program attracts graduate students to federal service from a variety of academic disciplines and creates a fast track for career advancement in the federal government.
According to the Office of Personnel Management, the federal government’s human resource agency, the fellows were nominated by departmental faculty based on the breadth and quality of accomplishments, capacity for leadership and a commitment to excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs.
As a finalist, graduate students have the chance to compete for high-level jobs at hundreds of federal agencies including the U.S. State Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control. In addition, finalists prepare an individual development plan that includes formal classroom training and developmental assignments that fast-track them to advancement within the U.S. government.
Jimmy Richardson, associate director of government and non-profit employer relations at the UGA Career Center, coordinated a campus wide effort to promote this opportunity to our students and faculty. Richardson said that the PMF is a highly prestigious award for graduate students who have a demonstrated interest in public service. “It’s more than a proverbial foot in the Federal door, it’s a chance for graduate students to bypass a couple of steps on the Federal career ladder,” he said.
This year’s fellows include:
William Abrams, Marietta, political science and international affairs;
Taryn Anderson, Cincinatti, Ohio, public administration;
Courtney Bell, Vestavia Hills, Alabama, public administration;
Brad Blythe, Homer, New York, marine sciences;
Carolyn Brooks, Jackson, Mississippi, speech communication with a focus on health communication;
Joshua Bull, Lilburn, public administration with a focus on non-profit management;
Hannah Cowart, Athens, nonprofit organizations;
William Duval, Boston, Massachusetts, plant biology;
Catherine Owen Highfill, Roanoke, Va., English literature;
Kevin McAbee, Asheville, North Caroline, forest resources with a focus on fisheries and imperiled species management;
Katie Rush, Amarillo, Texas, speech communication;
Samuel Spayd, Sunset Beach, North Carolina, business administration with a focus on finance; and
Mary Ellen Wiggins, Decatur, public administration.
For more information on the Presidential Management Fellows program, see https://www.pmf.opm.gov/.