Career Catalyst: How SRCD’s U.S. Policy Fellowship Has Shaped Careers in Public Policy
For nearly 50 years, SRCD’s U.S. Policy Fellowship has embedded 248 developmental scientists in federal agencies, Congress, and state governments—with two complementary goals: strengthening the use of research in public policy decisions affecting children, particularly in early childhood, and preparing the next generation of developmental scientists to engage effectively in policy.
Join this webinar to hear from Dr. Jennifer Brooks, SRCD’s Fellowship Supervisor, about findings from a recent evaluation of the Fellowship and how the experience has shaped the careers of developmental scientists in lasting and meaningful ways. The evaluation examines the Fellowship’s impact on:
- Building policy and professional skills
- Shaping and accelerating career trajectories
- Creating lasting professional networks
- To bring these findings to life, Dr. Brooks will be joined in conversation by Fellowship alumni:
• Dr. Lorena Aceves, Federal Policy Fellow (2020, Office of Head Start), now Program Evaluation Specialist at First Things First in Arizona.
• Dr. Jennifer Finders: State Policy Fellow (2020, Office of Early Childhood and Out of School Learning), now Assistant Professor in Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University.
• Dr. Taryn Morrissey, Congressional Policy Fellow (2008, U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee), now Associate Dean of Research at American University’s School of Public Affairs.
The evaluation comes at an important moment for the Fellowship. As SRCD’s Future of the U.S. Policy Fellowship Task Force considers options for the program’s future, these findings offer important evidence about how the Fellowship can continue—and expand—its impact on developmental scientists, public policy, and the broader field.
A forthcoming phase of the evaluation will examine the Fellowship’s impact on public policy and host agencies’ capacity to use developmental science, adding to our understanding of the program’s broader contributions.
