WMPublicPolicy

Last week, Public Policy hosted Corinna Barrett Lain ’92 for a discussion of her book, Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection. In it, she exposes unsettling truths about the history and practice of lethal injection. Read more: wm.edu/as/publicpolic…

Last week, Public Policy students attended a fireside chat in Richmond with Governor Spanberger & Chief of Staff Krenz-Schnurman in celebration of Women’s History Month! Students heard firsthand about leadership, public service, and the experiences of women shaping policy in VA.

Last month, MPP’ 08 and Richmond attorney Diana Miller took home a win on Jeopardy! We commend her on her superb trivia skills and her lifelong commitment to learning. Congratulations, Diana!

The Graduate Research Symposium will take place tomorrow and Friday in Sadler! MPP ’26 Audra Nikolajski will be presenting her research “Education's Vaccine: High Dosage Tutoring's Impact on K-12 Learning Loss” tomorrow at 3PM in the James Room. sites.google.com/wm.edu/grs-pro…

Congratulations to 2nd Year MPP student Audra Nikolajski on her new role as a Research Associate at Shaffer Evaluation Group! We’re incredibly proud of her and excited to see her put her skills and passion for equitable education outcomes into practice.

Last week, students in Prof. Kennedy’s capstone course held a Gun Policy Summit, presenting research on key firearm policies, from ammunition rules to training laws and liability protections, followed by a roundtable on gun policy and the Second Amendment. Congrats, students!

Prof. McBeth was delighted to see W&M Econ/Public Policy alum Leonymae Aumentado '15 at the APPAM Conference in Seattle earlier this month. We are proud of her work as a Senior Project Manager at Poverty Solutions–UMich & are honored to call her part of our Public Policy family!

Alumni News! Matt Strickler (MPP ’07) recently announced his campaign for Congress in Virginia’s 2nd District. Matt is the current Deputy Asst. Secretary for Fish & Wildlife & Parks for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior. We appreciate his commitment to public service and leadership!

On Friday, Master’s in Public Policy students visited D.C. where they spoke with Terri McCullough & Patti Ross with Pelosi’s office & Joy Lee with Clark’s office, enjoyed a career panel with alums L’Allegro Smith & Sophie Kidd, & heard from staff at the National League of Cities!

Congratulations to W&M ’92 graduate Corinna Barrett Lain, whose book, “Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection,” came out in April! She did a book event in Williamsburg and reconnected with her economics professor & advisor from W&M, Elaine McBeth.

Congratulations to MPP ’25 Anna Marie Flatt for her report published by the American Public Health Association examining the growing movement to integrate nutrition into healthcare treatment, and opportunities & challenges in the current policy landscape. apha.org/topics-and-iss…

Government & Public Policy Professor Chris Howard recently published an op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch examining how the expiration of enhanced ACA tax credits will dramatically raise health insurance costs for tens of thousands of Virginians. wm.edu/as/publicpolic…

Last week, the second-year MPP students practiced creating logic models in Leading Change with Professor Alex Joosse. In the class, students learn public sector leadership and management strategies to improve government.

Join the W&M Schroeder Center for Health Policy this Thursday for “A Conversation About Children’s Health Policy,” a panel discussion on major trends and issues affecting children’s health, healthcare, and wellbeing. RSVP here: events.wm.edu/event/view/wm/…

Join us this Thursday at 6pm in Tidewater A (Sadler Center) for a lecture by the brilliant Dr. Mara Karlin, a national security strategy & policy and civil-military relations expert who has served for six secretaries of defense in presidential administrations.

Read about the work by Troy Wiipongwii, MPP ’18, and other W&M faculty & Indigenous leaders, providing Indigenous communities with information on their land’s agricultural potential––improving health outcomes & food sovereignty for Indigenous communities. news.wm.edu/2025/09/09/anc…

Last Friday, students and faculty had the opportunity to hear from Dan Skinner, a health policy professor and medical educator. He spoke about his recent book which investigates the complicated relationships between large hospitals and the communities that surround them.

This week, the Public Policy Program had the honor of hosting Russ Travers J.D. Mr. Travers spoke to students about leadership in the public sector. His wealth of experience allowed for a robust discussion and Q&A with students.

Over Fall Break the Public Policy Program had two MPPs participate in the Day in DC Program! The day was packed with exploring the city, networking with alumni, and a tour of the US Capitol Building.

Over the summer, Marley Fishburn MPP’25, had the opportunity to intern with the William & Mary Center for Geospatial Analysis. Marley’s work involved collaborating with the USFWS. One of Marley’s recently published story maps can be found on this page: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b7d843…