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As the academic year closes, the Batten community has come together to honor several exemplary students who have been nominated by peers, faculty and staff for their consistent and superior work and dedication inside and outside the classroom. These awards are based on principles and traits exemplary of and important to our founder, the late Frank Batten, Sr.

Izzy Motta (BA, 2024) reflects on her 2023 summer internship at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, housed within the esteemed German Marshall Fund, yielding insights into the dynamic fusion of research, communication and tangible impact within the sphere of global democracy and security challenges.

Within the walls of Pavilion X, one of the ten original neoclassical faculty residences that line the Lawn, a powerful exhibition confronts visitors with the complexities of the past. Launched in 2022, this thought-provoking display challenges viewers to delve deeper into the often-overlooked truths that shaped the very bricks of the university's iconic Academical Village.

Holding diverse roles as Batten Undergraduate Council President, Lead Admissions Ambassador and Congressional Intern with Senator Tim Kaine, Ellie Stombres (BA '24) offers a diverse array of insights and lessons for Batten students. She is bound for a career in public service after taking a break this summer to attend culinary school in London.

As one of the foremost environmental attorneys in Virginia, Elizabeth Andrews has a front-row seat for the conundrums of climate change policy. On Earth Day, Andrews was our guest speaker for this year’s final Batten Hour, co-hosted by UVA’s Environmental Institute and the Institute for Engagement and Negotiation.

The Batten School is making significant strides in advancing rural policy and economic development through its inaugural Tadler Fellowship in Impact Investing. This innovative program is not only supporting the White House's Rural Partner Network (RPN) Initiative to strengthen rural economies, but is also working directly with communities in Southwest Virginia to develop solutions for their unique economic and social challenges.

The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) recently announced the appointment of Brian N. Williams, Ph.D., to the board of directors for its H. George Frederickson Center for Social Equity at the annual conference in Minneapolis held earlier this month.

For Jenny Tran (MPP '24), the decision to pursue a summer internship at the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C. think tank, was a natural extension of her passion for sustainable development policy. While there, she contributed to published research on the Rural Partners Network, a USDA program supporting underserved rural communities in the transition to a greener economy.

Last Friday, the Batten School was honored to celebrate Julieanna L. Richardson, the school’s recipient of the 2024 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership, the highest honor bestowed by the University of Virginia. Richardson is founder and president of The HistoryMakers, the groundbreaking digital archive of Black leaders who helped shape American history.

Batten's Language in Policy (LIP) student organization hosted Daniel Reifsnyder in the Great Hall this week for Batten Hour. Reifsnyder teaches multilateral environmental negotiations at Batten, and is best known for co-chairing the U.N. negotiations which led to the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015.

Maggie Anderson (MPP ‘18) and Brian Williams, associate professor of public policy at Batten, met during the summer of 2020 when she reached out to him for assistance with the implementation of Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s Task Force on Reimagining Public Safety. Tensions were at a breaking point in the city following the murder of George Floyd. The mayor had entrusted Anderson with the creation of this initiative, with the goal of building reform and trust with the community. Williams believes the job was placed in the most capable of hands.

It’s springtime and we students know what that means… the hunt is on for jobs and internships. For Batten students, each with their own policy interests and passions, there are so many incredible opportunities to explore and pursue within the realm of public service, policymaking, and advocacy. As a part of our Student Highlight series, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Amelia Walker, (BA ‘24) to discuss her experience working last summer for the Virginia Department of State Police as a Policy Research Analyst.