The Georgetown Public Policy Review Podcast

Junior Podcast Editor Joe Lustig (MPP '24) sits down with Dustin Wahl, Deputy Executive Director of "Fix Our House", an organization that advocates for significant changes to how the United States conducts elections, to discuss the upcoming 2024 presidential election, as well as the two party conundrum.

Junior Podcast Editor, Gabriel Taylor (MPP ‘24) chats with Richard Kahlenberg, Author of “Excluded: How Snob Zoning, NIMBYism, and Class Bias Build the Walls We Don't See” to discuss the US housing crisis, it’s causes, and what we might do to solve it.

Senior Podcast Editor Sneha Choudhary (MPP ‘24) interviews Herbie Ziskend, Special Assistant to the President of the United States and White House Deputy Communications Director, to discuss his experiences as a young staffer in the Obama Administration, his current role in the Biden Administration, and trends in political communication.

Senior Podcast Editor Sneha Choudhary (MPP ‘24) sits down with Jennifer Molina, Special Assistant to the President of the United States and White House Deputy Communications Director, to discuss her experiences as a Day One appointee of the Biden Administration, authentically engaging constituencies through media outreach, and the critical importance of self care.

In this episode, Senior Podcast Editor Sneha Choudhary (MPP ‘24) interviews Judith Feder, Georgetown Professor of Public Policy, former Dean of the Georgetown McCourt School, and nationally recognized health policy expert, to discuss Judy’s illustrious career, her experiences in the Senate and the Clinton Administration, and the backstory of how the Georgetown McCourt School became what it is toda...

GPPR Senior Podcast Editor Sneha Choudhary (MPP '24) speaks with Dr. Robert Traynham - a highly accomplished communications and public relations expert, and Emmy®-nominated media commentator with nearly two decades’ experience. In this episode, Dr. Traynham discusses the pride and the burden that comes with being “The First”, the importance of titles, his work with trying to change the system from...

GPPR Senior Podcast Editor Eleazar Weissman (MPP’ 24) speaks with Riva Duncan, Vice-President Of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, about the most pressing issues impacting the wildland firefighting community. In this podcast, Riva shares her perspective on the policy issues that matter to wildland firefighters and what can be done to ensure they can accomplish their mission.

GPPR Podcast Editor Joe Lustig (MPP-EP ’24) speaks with Dr. Richard Frank – a distinguished health economist, Brookings Institution fellow, and Director of the Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy – to talk about why drug prices are so high, the steps Congress has taken to bring them down, and what they might do next.

GPPR Editor, Bryna Antonia Cortes (MPM/NUF ‘23), spoke with Councilmember Robert White from the D.C. Council covering a range of topics from his path and lessons as a public administrator, the importance of being a vulnerable leader, to how to engage with the D.C. community in a meaningful way.

American Psychological Association Deputy Chief of Public Policy and Engagement, Advocacy Directorate, Stefanie Reeves discusses mental health trends occurring in the 118th congress with Podcast Editor Jazlyn Gallego (MPM '24). The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 146,000 members, including s...

Georgetown School of Foreign Service graduate and Executive Director of Vot-ER, Aliya Bhatia discusses the link between public health and successful democracies with Podcast Editor Jazlyn Gallego (MPM ’23). Vot-ER, a national nonprofit 501(C)3 organization, develops nonpartisan civic engagement tools and programs for every corner of the healthcare system—from private practitioners to medical schoo...

GPPR Editor, Bryna Antonia Cortes (MPM ’23), spoke with Khalil Cumberbatch, national leader and advocate on criminal justice policy, and Vikki Wachino, health care policy champion and former deputy administrator at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on the convening of their multi-sector coalition, the Health and Reentry Project (HARP); forthcoming CMS approval for states seeking...

GPPR Junior Podcast Editor Jazlyn Gallego (MPM ’24) speaks with Michael Wallace, founder of Mint Project, a Washington D.C. based nonprofit organization that serves the local homeless population. In this podcast, Wallace shares thoughts on public health policy solutions through his experience creating health clinics for the homeless in Washington D.C.

GPPR Podcast Editor Nhi Nguyen (MPM ’23) speaks to Don Han, the Director of Operations at Orange County Human Relations, and Norma Lopez, the Executive Director of the Human Relations Commissions. In this episode, Don and Norma discuss hate crime prevention and reporting, how they got into the work of hate prevention, and the county’s current prevention work.

GPPR Podcast Editor Sneha Choudhary (MPP ’24) speaks with Rohini Kosoglu, former Deputy Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President in the Biden-Harris White House, and the first Asian American woman to hold this role. In this episode, Kosoglu shares her experience in working her way up in the government, the importance of diverse perspectives in leadership, and th...

GPPR Podcast Editor Joe Lustig (MPP-EP ’24) speaks with McCourt Professor and esteemed economist Dr. Harry Holzer to talk about one of the most salient topics in US policy today, inflation. In this podcast, Dr. Holzer walks through what inflation is, what causes it, who it affects, and what policymakers can do about it.

GPPR Podcast Editor Kharl Reynado (MPP’23) spoke to Margaret Kuzma from the Veterans Legal Clinic at Harvard Law School and Alden Pinkham from the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center (CVLC) about the military discharge process and discharge upgrade law. Based on experience with veteran clients, they explain how an other-than-honorable discharge can negatively affect a veteran’s life, and how advocat...

Podcast Editor Kharl Reynado (MPP ’23) spoke with Amy Antioho, the widow of Peter Antioho, an Army Officer who passed away after exposure to burn pits during his military service, and their VA benefits attorney, Cindy Johnson, Deputy Director of the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center (CVLC), about what the PACT Act is and what it means for veterans and their families. Amy walks listeners through he...

GPPR Podcast Editor Brian Marroquín (MPM ’22) speaks with Cecilia Muñoz, former Director of the Domestic Policy Council in the Obama administration – the first Latina to serve in that role. In this podcast, Muñoz shares lessons from her decades of experience in immigration policy and her current work in public interest technology.

In this episode, podcast editor Eleazar Weissman (MPP ’23) speaks with Connecticut State Senator and Georgetown alum, William Haskell. As Connecticut’s youngest state senator, Senator Haskell offers insight into how he decided to run for state office after graduating from Georgetown University in 2018. He offers a rich perspective on what shaped his legislative agenda on issues such as criminal ju...

GPPR Podcast Editor Kharl Reynado (MPP '23) spoke with Amy O'Hara, Research Professor in the Massive Data Institute at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Professor O'Hara addresses data disaggregation, where data originates, the balance between privacy and accuracy, and how data disaggregation can better inform policy analysis and improve visibility for underserved populations.

GPPR Podcast Editor Brian Marroquín (MPM ’22) spoke with Sol Anderson, the President & CEO of the Evanston Community Foundation, about the role of community foundations in public policy and dynamic approaches to community building. In this podcast, Mr. Anderson emphasizes the importance of relationships and listening to the community to bring positive change and build meaningful paths to opportuni...

GPPR Podcast Editor Kyra Brown (MPP '23) spoke with McCourt Professor Pamela Herd about some of the bureaucratic obstacles people encounter when trying to access government benefits, services, and rights. In this podcast, Dr. Herd talks about implementation of the CARES Act and how administrative setbacks can exacerbate inequitable and inefficient distribution of health aid packages to vulnerable...

GPPR Podcast Editor Kharl Reynado spoke with Senator Ghazala Hashmi about her thoughts on diversity and representation in government. In this podcast episode, Senator Hashmi addresses the underrepresentation of women and minority groups in government and politics, the importance of adequate and accurate representation of the identities that have shaped America, and the notion of moral leadership.

In the second episode of his "Leadership in Public Policy" podcast series, GPPR Podcast Editor William "Ryan" Brown sat down with Anatole Jenkins. Anatole Jenkins is a current GU Politics fellow who most recently worked as the National Director of States Organizing on the Joe Biden for President campaign. Previously, he has worked as the National Organizing Director on the Kamala Harris for Presid...