Feature Article
Presidential Management Fellows Program
Over the years, a number of Social Work and Social Policy & Practice alumni have gotten their start in federal government through the Presidential Management Fellows program. The program was established by Executive Order in 1977 “to attract to the Federal service outstanding men and women from a variety of academic disciplines and career paths who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs.” Since its beginning, the program has attracted “graduate students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds” and trained them to “meet the future challenges of public service.”
As those SSW/SP² alumni who have completed the Presidential Management Fellows program will attest, the program is a truly unique opportunity for new social work graduates. Applicants to the program must be completing, or have completed, a graduate degree during the academic year in which they apply, and must be nominated by their school (which needs to be a qualifying college or university).
Unlike the average new job experience, the PFM program combines the best of both worlds: it simultaneously serves as the start of a career and the continuation of a rigorous education. Fellows are required to complete a minimum of 80 hours of formal training over the course of the two year program, which includes a three-day Orientation and a Graduation training session. The remainder of a Fellow’s formal training depends on their Individual Development Plan (IDP), which is developed in conjunction with the Fellow’s agency to outline the core competencies they wish to achieve. In addition, Fellows are presented with challenging assignments, rotations in other departments or government agencies, career development activities, and networking opportunities.
Marianne Nazzaro, MSW’02, Kate Costella, MSW’03, and Marie Martinez, MSW’03 have all completed the PMF program (and continue to work for the federal government), and each stress the strength of the networking opportunities available for Fellows. Because Fellows hold positions in fields as diverse as engineering, accounting, nursing, and city planning, networking enables program participants to literally build connections with individuals in all areas of the government, not just the department in which they work. Networking opportunities range from Orientation to happy hours to listservs, and help to establish a strong PMF “community” for participants.
In separate conversations about the PMF program, Marianne, Kate, and Marie all expressed the belief that MSW graduates make excellent Fellows. In their experiences, they found that their social work education offered a valuable perspective – different from that of their colleagues – when developing policies and programs. Consequently, they recognize that they play a role in positively affecting change on many levels, and encourage more social work graduates to enter this prestigious program.
Current Social Policy & Practice students considering application to the program should contact Dr. Bourjolly, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, at jerri@sp2.upenn.edu. The Office of Personnel Management should open the application process for the PMF class of 2007 by the end of September, with a closure date around mid-October. After the initial application, the assessment process continues (i.e., group interviews). Finalists are given access to a job bank and a job fair in Washington, DC, where they can apply for available positions.
Alumni who have applied to the program emphasize the intense nature of the application process and highly recommend that applicants talk to former Fellows. The three alumnae highlighted in this issue of Penn Matters have all extended invitations to SP² students who wish to contact them regarding the application process and the program. Their job and contact information can be found in their profiles (see “Alumni in the Field." For more information about the Presidential Management Fellows program, or to apply, please visit the PMF website at www.pmf.opm.gov.