News
Best Team Leaders
On December 11, 2025 I was proud to recognize MPA students Yomaira Rodriguez and Christa Rodriguez as co-recipients of the “Best Consulting Team Leader” award in my Public & Nonprofit Management II course. They led their teams, providing exceptional consulting services, including by using performance management and strategic planning techniques, for the Marxe School MSEd-HEA Program and the Fordham University Office of Military and Veterans’ Services and the chapter of the Student Veterans of America, respectively.
Yomaira Rodriguez said, “Leading my team this semester was an invaluable experience. It challenged me, shaped my leadership, and showed me the power of collaboration and perseverance. Using Kouzes and Posner’s ‘Encourage the Heart’ practice helped me build a strong, engaged team, and our professor’s thoughtful feedback helped me grow in ways I’ll carry into my career.”
Christa Rodriguez said, “It was an honor to have the opportunity through this course to complete a consulting project for Fordham University’s Office of Military and Veterans' Services and Student Veterans of America Chapter, providing recommendations for more student veteran engagement. I learned so much from them as well, in addition to my excellent teammates, and the professor.”
They were nominated by MPA student Jennifer Worksman who said, “their acts of goodwill and guidance demonstrate Kouzes and Posner's key leadership principles. Their demonstrated empathy and emotional intelligence also reflect exemplary leadership.”
Yomaira and Christa’s teams, as well as Jennifer’s, assessed their clients’ programmatic activities and offered pointed analyses and recommendations for refinement. Their work supported their client organizations’ missions.
Will Andreycak
On November 25, 2025, MPA alumnus Will Andreycak made a presentation, “Consultants and the Civic Sector,” to students in my Public and Nonprofit Management I core course (PAF 9120). Will, who is a Manager at Bennet Midland, a management consulting firm focusing on the civic sector, shared with students what consulting in this sector entails.
As part of his talk, Will used experiential learning by organizing the students as a mock consulting firm with an organizational client. Will helped students think through consulting services for this client, from start-up and incorporation to strategic planning and from program design to implementation to performance management.
Students in the MPA, MSEd-HEA, and MA in Arts Administration programs were able to understand the core value proposition of civic sector consulting.
Will said, “My MPA experience at the Marxe School prepared me to be an effective collaborator to organizations driving public impact. It was a privilege to work with Marxe students—currently considering their own place in the ecosystem of social impact—to unpack the unique role, contributions, and limitations of consulting in philanthropic, nonprofit, and public sector contexts.”
Will’s talk was insightful and inspirational. It opened a career door for students to explore, as we near the end of the Fall semester, about applying theory to practice as Marxe School and Baruch College alumni.
Jackie Wait
On October 21, 2025 MPA alumna Jacqueline (Jackie) Wait made a presentation, “Building Experience through my MPA Journey,” to students in my Public and Nonprofit Management I core course (PAF 9120). Jackie, who is the Assistant Director of Program Evaluation for CUNY’s Career Launch and Spring Forward program initiatives, shared with students why she pursued an MPA, how she juggled her studies and full-time work, and how she applied her coursework to her responsibilities over data collection and program evaluation at CUNY.
Jackie said, “My MPA helped me understand that the goal isn’t just to land a position. Rather, it’s to build the experience and skills that make you ready for it.”
Jackie’s talk was insightful and inspirational. It was the perfect tonic for my students at the halfway point in the semester when they may begin to tire: to think ahead about applying theory to practice as Marxe School alumni.
Guest Speakers
On September 11, 2025 “professors” Carmel Balan and Rinchen Lama, who are MPA candidates at the Marxe School, made presentations about their prior consulting projects in my Public and Nonprofit Management II course (PAF 9160) to students enrolled in this Fall 2025 semester.
Rin and Carmel explained how, as part of consulting teams, they engaged their clients: Two nonprofit organizations that focused on environmental policy education and advocacy and higher education policy and services, respectively.
The professors shared how they analyzed the clients’ problems, using performance management and transformational leadership frameworks, and offered customized solutions. Also, the professors discussed how they prepared their clients’ comprehensive written reports and delivered their verbal presentations.
Carmel said, “Last year, as a student consultant and pracademic at the Marxe School, I bridged theory and practice. The invaluable experience strengthened my skills in performance management and governance and deepened my commitment to public service.”
Rin said, “As someone who takes much interest in environmental conservation in my personal life, it was extremely rewarding to consult an environmental nonprofit last year. I was able to implement the management theories taught by recommending the best fitting solution to my team's client. Working on this project showed me a different way to show up for the environment.”
Their insightful and supportive presentations were appreciated by students who are serving as consultants this semester to four organizational clients.
In the Spring 2024 semester, Carmel was the co-recipient of the “Best Consulting Team Leader” award, and Rin was the co-recipient of the “Best Consulting Team” award.
Christa Rodriguez
On September 2, 2025 “Professor” Christa Rodriguez made a presentation about her research project, from the Spring 2024 semester, focused on fundraising in a nonprofit organization. This presentation was for students in the Public and Nonprofit Management I core course (PAF 9120). Christa, who is an MPA student at the Marxe School, was the recipient of my section’s “Best Research Paper” award for her project in that semester.
This assignment, which students are responsible for completing in the Fall 2025 semester, involves focusing on one management problem in an organization, crafting a research question, using theory to scrutinize the problem, performing research, and developing recommendations with an action plan.
Christa said, “I’m happy to share my experiences with my peers at the Marxe School and act as a resource for them as we continue to learn and grow together through our respective programs.”
The students appreciated her thorough and insightful talk as they are finalizing the design of their research projects for this semester.
SSHA
On June 5, 2025 my new article, “An examination of shifting enforcement priorities: Republican officeholders reorganize the US immigration system, 1906–1913,” was published in Social Science History (FirstView link).
This research offers two benefits. First, I provide a framework to explain how three administrative levers—staffing, funding, and infrastructure—are used to restrict or ease immigration and naturalization enforcement. These are not apparent to the public on the outside looking in convoluted immigration bureaucracies.
Second, this study provides a lesson from the Progressive Era: bureaucratic reorganization cuts two ways. On the one hand, it offered Republicans in the White House and both houses of Congress flexibility to pivot on enforcement activities via their political appointees. On the other hand, the shift to immigration restriction adversely affected immigrant communities because newcomers were overrepresented in hospitals, charities, and juvenile courts.
AILA
On May 21, 2025, in support of the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s continuing legal education program, I was pleased to co-present to over 100 members. I am a member of the New York Chapter’s Asylum Liaison Committee. In my (remote) presentation, “How to Prepare Clients for Affirmative Asylum Interviews: The Basics, Research Insights & Practice Tips,” I encouraged attorneys to make use of research to enhance their practice at Asylum offices of US Citizenship & Immigration Services. This included explaining how credibility assessments can be used to deny applicants’ claims. Also, as a former asylum officer, I homed in on the steps of the credibility assessment framework that officers must comply with when making such assessments.
Christa Rodriguez
On May 28, 2024 I proudly recognized MPA student Christa Rodriguez, who earned the “Best Research Paper” recognition, from my Public & Nonprofit Management I course. This assignment involved focusing on a management problem in an organization, crafting a research question, using theory to scrutinize the problem, performing research, and developing recommendations with an action plan.
Christa’s research project focused on fundraising in a nonprofit organization. She robustly used theory to examine this function and offered prescriptions for impact in the long-run.
Best Consulting Team
On May 15, 2024 I recognized MPA students Andrew Newman (Leader), Tim Hunter, and Rin Lama with the Best Consulting Team certificate in my Public & Nonprofit Management II course. They provided exceptional consulting services, including by using performance management techniques, to One Year for Earth. It “is an open resource and elective program that helps people explore the many facets of sustainability.”
More specifically, they assessed this organization’s programmatic activities and offered a pointed analysis and recommendations for refinement. Their work certainly supports the Marxe School to meet its mission “… to foster effective, inclusive institutions and societies …”
Best Team Leaders
On May 15, 2024 I recognized MPA students Carmel Balan and Melen Yemane with the Best Consulting Team Leader recognition in my Public & Nonprofit Management II course. They lead their teams, providing exceptional consulting services, including by using performance management and strategic planning techniques, to the Marxe School MPA Program and the Musicians Foundation, respectively.
While the former “educate[s] and empower[s] leaders,” the latter advances “… the condition and social welfare of professional musicians ...”
More specifically, each team assessed their client’s programmatic activities and offered a pointed analysis and recommendations for refinement. Their work certainly supports the Marxe School to meet its mission “… to foster effective, inclusive institutions and societies …”
Best Project Team
On May 13, 2024 I recognized MPA students Christa Rodriguez, (Coordinator), Masooma Amin, Samuel Garcia, and Zoe Sarullo with the Best Project Team recognition from my Public & Nonprofit Management I course. They made two exceptional presentations—using assigned case studies (on a government agency and a nonprofit organization)—that required them to apply theories, produce analyzes, and recommendations, and to work collaboratively. These presentations included fielding challenging questions during “Q&A” sessions from their colleagues.
Their work certainly advanced the development of “NASPAA” competencies, such as “to analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make evidence-informed decisions …”
Alidia Vane
On April 15, 2024 “Professor” Alidia Vane delivered a presentation, “Managing Up, Down, Across, Out, and In,” to my students in the Public and Nonpro(t Management I course. Alidia, an MPA graduate of the Marxe School, founded and leads Alidia Vane Consulting. She shared insights on her leadership journey, including in consulting.
The students appreciated her thoughtful, robust, and instructive presentation as they consider their futures as pracademics.