Hailing from Lake Oswego, Oregon, Owen joined UVA Batten in 2020 after completing his undergraduate degree in international development studies and geography and a minor in Arabic & Islamic studies from UCLA, and spending some time working on Capitol Hill.
Following his time at UVA Batten, he joined the National Association of Counties (NACo) as a legislative assistant. Today, he serves as NACo’s legislative director for Agriculture & Rural Affairs, where he spearheads advocacy efforts on federal rural development policy that can better support America’s 3,069 counties and the rural communities they serve, a role Owen cites as being both very high impact and personally very rewarding. Get to know more about Owen below!
Q. Why did you choose UVA Batten?
A. I chose UVA Batten because it demonstrated great return on investment relative to other MPP/MPA programs I was considering. Having such great exposure to faculty and experts at UVA, a fantastic on-campus experience, and immediate connections to a roster of very impressive alumni (particularly in DC) made the UVA Batten experience hard to turn down.
Q. How would you describe the Batten community?
A. I made incredible friends during my time at UVA Batten. Our cohort was particularly close due to the COVID pandemic. Many of my closest friends today were folks I first spent time with in class at UVA Batten. Those bonds were reinforced when many of us moved to Washington, D.C., right after graduating. I also met my future wife at UVA Batten, at the Complete Immersion Batten Orientation (CIBO) program, no less – if that isn’t a testament to the strength of the UVA Batten community, I don’t know what is!
Q. How were you able to explore your policy interests while at UVA Batten?
A. UVA Batten allowed me to shift my focus from international development to a focus on natural resources and energy issues, both through UVA Batten’s curriculum and in my summer internship at the Niskanen Center, where I worked on climate policy. This positioned me for a role with the NACo working on public lands, agriculture and rural development policy.
Q. What’s one way UVA Batten helped you grow personally or professionally?
A. UVA Batten provides hands-on opportunities to get involved in policymaking, but the best takeaway is the people you meet along the way. UVA Batten is full of incredibly dynamic, bright and driven students out to make the world a better place. My conversations and connections both with fellow students and faculty expanded my horizons and made me a better, more effective policy professional.
Q. Similarly, how did UVA Batten prepare you professionally? What skills and experiences at UVA Batten set you up for success?
Chances to focus on hard skills were particularly valuable. Classes on federal budgeting, negotiations, GIS, Excel and other policy analysis-focused courses helped to differentiate me during the job application process. In turn, the writing sample (as well as the skills you pick up on the way) that you produce from your Applied Policy Project (the MPP capstone experience) is another huge boon when applying for your first role out of school.
Q. What course or academic experience was a highlight of your time at UVA Batten?
A. Working with Professor Gerry Warburg, both in his class on congressional politics and as his graduate research fellow, helping out with his book, “Saving Point Reyes,” was a particular highlight of mine.
Q. Beyond academics, what are some other memories that stand out from your time at UVA Batten?
A. Tailgates before UVA football games with fellow UVA Batten students, snow days on the Lawn, watching almost every 2021 March Madness game in fellow classmate Doug Weimer’s Range Room in between classes and Batten Ball (UVA Batten Graduate Council’s big social event of the year)!
Q. What piece of advice would you give to a student considering UVA Batten?
A. If you want a grad school experience that pairs top-tier academic opportunities with a thriving social scene and an increasingly influential alumni network, UVA Batten is the place for you!
