A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Happy holidays!
Welcome to the Fall/Winter edition of the Hatfield School Newsletter. We use this newsletter to keep in touch with our community friends and partners, sharing the wonderful work happening at the Hatfield School.
We have had a full and busy Fall Term and have so many things to commemorate. This edition of the Hatfield Newsletter offers a snapshot of updates and highlights from students, faculty, and alumni at the Hatfield School, providing a glimpse into the extensive array of remarkable accomplishments. It is my honor and joy as the Director to celebrate and share them with you all.
As we near the end of 2023 and look forward to 2024, I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year. I hope you have the opportunity to rest and recharge with loved ones over the break.
Sincerely,
Masami Nishishiba, Ph.D.
Director, Mark O. Hatfield School of Government
HATFIELD SCHOOL STORIES AND HIGHLIGHTS
ALUMNI
Johnell Bell, Chief Executive Officer of Espousal Strategies and HSOG alumni, was featured in the Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce (DJC) for Espousal’s work in promoting equity and diversity within the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) program. Looking beyond the construction and operations planning, Espousal has sought to forge pathways of opportunity for historically overlooked communities. Their objective within the scope of the IBR project is to ensure a more inclusive and equitable experience and future for everyone affected and involved. You can learn more about Espousal’s work and read their Oregon DJC feature here.
FACULTY
In November of 2023, Dr. Kevin Kecskes was announced as the incoming Chair of the Public Administration Department. Dr. Kecskes has been part of the PA Department for over a decade, primarily teaching in areas related to global leadership and ethics. He has also served as Portland State’s Principal Investigator for the Middle Eastern Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Student Leaders Program since 2012. Dr. Kecskes maintains an active global and local presence. Dr. Kecskes’ chairship will begin in January of 2024. Congratulations, Dr. Kecskes!
Dr. Jack Miller, Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Politics and Global Affairs, launched the year 5 premiere of his show The Pothole Problem Podcast on Thursday, September 28th. The Pothole Problem is a unique political podcast dedicated to exploring political outrage through civil discourse and analysis. Guests discuss with Dr. Miller about how they work with and make use of powerful emotions evoked by political engagement, and examine what they’ve learned about themselves and the world as they’ve grappled with the issues and outcomes that matter to them. Thematic episodes explore topics such as how voting systems, political behavior, and institutional structures impact the way people interact with their democratic system and the feelings they have about those interactions. The Pothole Problem is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Episodes dating back to September 2019 can be accessed on the website’s archive page.
Dr. Masami Nishishiba, alongside Center for Public Service representatives Dr. Jennifer Joyalle and Yachi Iisako, spent October involved in running Portland State’s cohort of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI). Funded by the U.S. State Department, this program brought together 20 young leaders from 11 countries in Southeast Asia. Various HSOG members participated in and helped provide over 5 weeks of programming for these student leaders throughout the fall.
HATFIELD SCHOOL NEWS
In early November, new Portland State President Dr. Ann Cudd held the 2023 Fall Budget Forum, the first of many conversations as PSU enters a participatory budgeting process. The forum included a presentation on the university’s current budget and, proposed financial stability of current funding projects. Dr. Frankline Muthomi, PA faculty provided an overview of participatory budgeting at this forum. More information, including the slide deck from the forum, can be found here.
A warm welcome to Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs incoming Editor-in-Chief Cole Grisham. The Journal is currently accepting submissions for the Spring 2024 issue. This is a fantastic opportunity for graduate students to submit their work for publication. The deadline for submissions is January 15th, 2024.
Congratulations to Tony Salvador, the newly hired Executive Director of the National Policy Consensus Center (NPCC) within the Hatfield School. Dr. Salvador is a social scientist and business strategist who has spent three decades working with and leading research and business groups with technology companies on both coasts. Additionally, he brings a wealth of experience in ethnographic work in approximately fifty countries. Dr. Salvador has been a Senior Fellow at Portland State’s Center for Public Service since 2018. He earned a PhD from Tufts University and a BA from Franklin and Marshall College. He has lived in Oregon since 1993. Welcome, Dr. Salvador!
Dr. Lindsay Benstead has two new publications out this year: Product Boycotting as Political Action: Youth, Anti-Americanism, and the Politics of Consumption in the Middle East and North Africa and “What Explains Voter Preferences in Transitional Tunisia? The Role of Particularistic Benefits,” published in the Journal of the Middle East and Africa.
Chris Cartwright published two coauthored works: “Connecting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belongingness with Intercultural Competence,” published in a special edition of Culture-Impact Journal and “Women’s Leadership and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Navigating Crises through the Application of Connective Leadership,” published in Merits.
HATFIELD SCHOOL EVENTS
For over 25 years, the Oregon Historical Society has presented the Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series, bringing together the nation’s top historians and award-winning authors for thought-provoking evenings of history. The series began at the suggestion of Senator Hatfield and continues as a tribute to his legacy of public service and as an opportunity to share stories of the people and events that have shaped history. This year's speakers include Kelly Lytle Hernández, Liz Cheney, Ned Blackhawk and H.W. Brands.
Get tickets!
For information on upcoming Hatfield School events, please bookmark our event calendar!