PPIA Program and Maxwell – A long standing partnership

PPIA: 30 years of promoting diversity in the field

PPIA (The Public Policy and International Affairs Program) has been supporting efforts to increase diversity in public service for over 30 years – and the Maxwell School of Syracuse University ’s Department of Public Administration and International Affairs has been partnering with them from the beginning.  We agree with and support PPIA’s belief “that our society is best served by public managers, policy makers, and community leaders who represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives”.  This summer I was able to attend the PPIA sponsored Public Service Expos in both Chicago, IL and Washington, DC. Justin Resuello, Maxwell MPA and PPIA Alumni of Carnegie Mellon’s JSI, represented our programs on the west coast at the PPIA Expo at UC Berkeley.

PPIA is engaged in active outreach to expand the interest, engagement & preparation of a diverse cadre of young men and women entering into professional careers in the public service. Each year, college juniors are invited to apply to seven-week Junior Summer Institutes (JSIs). The JSIs focus on preparing students for graduate programs, careers and leadership in the fields of public administration, policy and international affairs.  The JSI curriculum includes specialized training in economics, statistics, domestic and international policy analysis, and leadership topics; all designed to sharpen the students quantitative, analytic and communication skills.  Successful completion of the summer JSI allows the now “PPIA Fellows” access to exceptional opportunities for admission and scholarship to over 30 different PPIA consortium graduate schools across the country!

All of our admitted PPIA Fellows receive either a full or partial tuition scholarship with their admission! We are proud to count nearly 100 PPIA alumni among our graduate alumni ranks over these past 30 yrs of the program in all its iterations.

On Wednesday, Sept 3^rd, PPIA and APSIA will co-sponsor a webinar on graduate study in public and international affairs from 1- 2 pm EDT for PPIA Fellows and Alumni. I was pleased to be asked to serve as a panelist on this webinar, along with my colleagues from two other PPIA Consortium schools.

Please do check out the links in this message to learn more about PPIA program, the summer institutes and benefits (financial and otherwise) of participation.  The PPIA program is limited to US Citizens and permanent residents with a preference for serving underrepresented groups in the public service.

PPIA / Maxwell Alumna Profile 

“Maxwell couples academics with hands-on experience. The broad range of topics covered will provide you with a lifetime of knowledge and management skills, whether you serve in the public or private sector. The most important lesson that I learned at Maxwell is that there are many ways to serve the public. Some of you will work in the government. Others will be consultants. Where ever your talents lead you, your Maxwell degree will give you the knowledge and skills to be successful, whether is running your own business or overseeing a billion dollar national program”. 

~Brooke Dickson-Knowles  MPA, 2000, PPIA 1999, University of Michigan JSI
Privacy Analyst, Scitor Corporation

Biographical Narrative

Ms. Dickson-Knowles has over five years experience as an analyst for the U.S. Federal government, with experience in legislative, regulatory, and budgetary analysis.  In 2000, she joined the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB)’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) as a Presidential Management Intern.  In 2002, she was part of the Bush Administration’s negotiation team to Congress to assist in the development of S. 803 and H.R. 2458, which became the E-government Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-347).  Ms. Dickson-Knowles also oversaw information technology investments for three U.S. government agencies: HUD, NASA, and the National Archives.  She was recognized for her contributions with OIRA division awards in 2002 and 2003.  From 2003 to 2004, she oversaw the budget for four programs under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), representing $2 billion in program funding.  In 2006, she joined SRA International as a Privacy Analyst and has contributed to privacy management practices at the Department of Labor, the Department of Treasury, and the Department of Homeland Security. Her areas of specialty include privacy management, policy analysis, information and data quality, electronic government (e-government), information management, training development, and policy guidance development. Through her Maxwell alumni connections she moved to Scitor Corporation in 2009.

Ms. Dickson-Knowles holds a B.A. in History from BrynMawrCollege and a MPA from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University.  She has traveled and lived overseas, including a two year posting in Singapore, where she worked as an international educational advisor.