Social Work Student Named Presidential Management Fellow

For Immediate Release

May 7, 2007

New York, NY – Julia Schipper, a second-year student from the Columbia University School of Social Work, has been named a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The program is highly competitive and selected fellows participate in a two-year paid internship working in the Federal government that includes leadership development, training, and rotations among various Federal agencies.

“The PMF award has opened the door to so many different opportunities within the government that I would never have known about otherwise,” says Schipper.  “I look forward to beginning my work as a public servant and applying the skills that I have developed during my education at CUSSW.”

A native of Berkeley, California, Schipper received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Barnard College in New York and holds a master’s degree in International Health from Queen Margaret University College in the UK. She is finishing her second master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University, where she has focused on international social policy. Schipper previously worked in Peru with Pro Mujer, a micro-finance organization, as a gender-based violence counselor, and in Washington DC providing direct services to survivors of human trafficking.  She is fluent in French, Spanish and Swedish.

Established by Executive Order in 1977, the PMF Program draws graduate students from a variety of academic disciplines and diverse backgrounds to the Federal service. The PMF program selects men and women who have a clear commitment and interest in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. The two-year paid program includes 80 hours of formal classroom training each year, challenging assignments, accelerated promotions, and opportunities to network between agencies. Fellows are hired by agencies and given exposure to domestic and international issues in such areas as public administration, technology, science, criminal justice, health, and financial management. Fellows often use this experience as a stepping stone to highly visible and respected leadership positions in the Federal Government.

For more information, please contact Jeannie Hii at 212-851-2327 or jy2223@columbia.edu.