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Erin Malec of the Southern Environmental Law Center shared how storytelling is rooted in strategy, values, and hope that can move people and shape public outcomes.

Colonel John J. Thomas (Col ’88, GSAS ’91), father of Batten alumnae Anna Thomas (MPP '25) returned to UVA to share lessons from his career in crisis communication, reminding students that every crisis is human before it is operational.

The Environmental Resilience Lab launches student-centered research training and mentorship experience for students interested in exploring research careers at the intersection of economics, public policy, and environmental science.

Professor of practice Melanie Anne Egorin joined the Batten faculty this fall. A health policy expert, she most recently served as assistant secretary for legislation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In her short time at Batten, Egorin has already created several opportunities to expose students to the process of real-world policymaking, some of which include bringing former colleagues from Capitol Hill to Grounds to connect with the Batten community.

This week’s Batten Hour debuted the first of our monthly career programs, Policy in Practice, featuring graduates who’ve taken their Batten training and put it to work in the world. This inaugural event featured alumni from Batten’s first cohort and more recent graduates working in national security, economic development, diplomacy, and leadership development.

The Batten School embraces the importance of a well-rounded human experience to shape the leaders who will be able to meet the complex and diverse policy challenges of today. This fall, we are excited to welcome seven transfer students into our Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Leadership program who have all journeyed on different paths to arrive here.

Arif (BA ’23) was selected as one of 45 nationwide recipients of the highly competitive Rangel Graduate Fellowship, which prepares young people for careers in the U.S. Foreign Service. As part of the program, she began her Master's in International Affairs program at the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs this fall.

At a recent discussion hosted by UVA Batten, two alumni of the Rodel Institute’s bipartisan fellowship program shared candid reflections on the challenges and opportunities of governing in polarized times. The talk was one of several events held in conjunction with Rodel’s book award, annually hosted by Batten.

UVA Batten was honored to host this year's Rodel Institute Edwards Book Award, which recognizes books that make an outstanding contribution to the understanding and practice of democracy and American politics. This year's winner, “Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America's Political Crisis,” was written by James Davison Hunter, a longtime faculty member in UVA’s Department of Sociology.

In a special event celebrating UVA’s Education Rights Institute, Ketanji Brown Jackson made a historic visit to Grounds last week for an address to a packed audience of about 800 students, faculty, staff, and community members at Old Cabell Hall. Jackson is the first Black woman to serve on the highest court in the land.

As president and CEO of Carlyle Airport Group Holdings, LLC, UVA alumni Amit Rikhy has led the effort to secure $9.5 billion for the redevelopment of Terminal One at New York City’s JFK International Airport — the largest aviation public-private partnership in U.S. history. Rikhy was our Batten Hour guest speaker recently.

Thomas (BA ’21) has forged a career in public policy and now is blending his experience with his creative nature across the globe. Thomas is serving as a Youth Ambassador at the USA Pavilion at the 2025 World Expo in Japan, where he is introducing attendees to American culture and innovation.