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Thanks to generous giving from UVA alumni Richard and Donna Tadler over the past five years, more than 175 UVA Batten students have traveled to Southwest Virginia and engaged directly with community partners to understand, research, and design policy solutions to bolster economic and community development in the struggling region.

Heaney (MPP '22) is a cyber operations planner with the U.S. Department of Energy. Nominated by his superiors at the agency, he has received a CyberScoop 50 Award in the Most Inspiring Up and Comers category, which recognizes “information security trailblazers early in their careers who are on track to be leaders of tomorrow in cybersecurity.”

Molly Lipscomb, associate professor of public policy and economics at UVA Batten, has been invited by VoxDev to serve as a senior editor for a review of research around the world on sanitation infrastructure.

A group of more than 15 UVA Batten rising second-year graduate students and friends ventured to the New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia this summer for a weekend of camping, rafting, and cementing their camaraderie. Said one: "I know the cohort has my back. I hope that the cohort knows I have theirs.”

Sarah Alexander (BA ’19) is the incoming president of the Batten Alumni Advisory Board (BAAB). A native of New Orleans, La., she grew up understanding how offshore energy development and coastal environmental restoration are intertwined, and has pursued that interest through her career in Congress and most recently with a D.C. public policy firm.

On this episode of "Grounds to Listen," Brendan Tuohey, co-founder and president of PeacePlayers, talks with UVA Batten dean Ian H. Solomon about how the organization is bringing people together across divides in the Middle East, South Africa, Northern Ireland, and the United States through sports.

Health policy expert Melanie Anne Egorin will join the faculty at the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy this fall. Egorin comes to the school with more than 20 years of experience in federal service.

For the third year in a row, students enrolled in UVA Batten’s experiential course, Introduction to Management Consulting and Strategic Decision Making, have won top honors in the Bain & Company Women’s Case Competition at UVA. Participants from the course have also won, for the second year in a row, the 2025 Deloitte Undergraduate Case Competition.

UVA Batten associate professor of public policy Andrew Pennock has received the 2025 All-University Teaching Award from the University of Virginia. The annual awards honor UVA faculty members who demonstrate exceptional dedication, passion, creativity, and equity in their contributions to the University’s teaching mission.

Tim Phillips, founder and CEO of Beyond Conflict, joins UVA Batten dean Ian H. Solomon on this episode of "Grounds to Listen" to discuss his work reducing conflict and increasing tolerance around the world.

New online certificates being offered by UVA Batten this fall will empower working professionals to lead and shape public policy from anywhere.

The UVA Batten School community is deeply saddened by the passing of Congressman Gerry Connolly, a cherished friend and colleague of many faculty and staff, a mentor to innumerable students and alumni, and an inspiring example of public service leadership.