During my first year at the University of Virginia, I knew that I wanted to apply to the Batten School. At the beginning of my second semester at UVA, I attended a Batten School information session. Shortly after, I called my Mom and said, “I have found the graduate school for me!”

Six University of Virginia students were selected for this year’s Governor’s Fellows program, the largest contingent from a single school in the state. Of those six, three are Batten students or recent graduates.

“I have always been interested in serving something greater than myself,” said Nate Jewell (BA’ 16).

“My mother was a professor of nursing at the University of North Dakota, and she served as associate dean of the School of Nursing for a number of years,” said Volden. “So, I grew up with an example of what it meant to be a valued professor and an academic leader. Although I thought of pursuing other paths along the way, this one felt very natural to me as I finished college and started into graduate school.”

The University of Virginia has been recognized for Social Entrepreneurship @UVA’s commitment to fostering innovation and empowering the next generation of future changemakers and citizen leaders.

Working on issues related to rural poverty may not be as glamorous as other high-profile policy issues, but for Evelyn Immonen (MPP ’18), the margin of good that can be done in just one small town is worth the effort and commitment

Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi is an associate professor of psychology and public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Brown-Iannuzzi's research seeks to understand why social group disparities may persist and, in some cases, grow.

Rick Campanelli is a lecturer at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Campanelli has an extensive career in public service and the private sector as well as experience in senior leadership and management. Campanelli has been legal counsel in the areas of healthcare, information privacy and security, and civil and First Amendment rights. He is the Center for Christian Study Director of Graduate Ministries for the Law and Darden Christian Fellowships.

Eileen Chou, associate dean for academic affairs and Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, researches the organizational, social, and psychological forces that shape individual and group behavior in organizational settings.

Benjamin Converse is an associate professor of public policy and psychology at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Department of Psychology. His research focuses on motivation, social judgment, problem solving and decision making. He teaches courses related to leadership and negotiations.