As a policy advisor for U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., Maxwell School alumna Miranda Peterson provides analysis and recommendations on top issues like energy, the environment and disaster preparedness.

“You never know what you are going to get each day,” says Peterson, who earned an executive master’s in international relations in 2023. “You might be doing deep research for a bill to further one of the congressman’s long-term goals, meeting with colleagues to form a response to the news or troubleshooting constituent casework with a federal agency.”

Peterson says the expertise she gained from the Maxwell School helps her excel in the position. She was working as a legislative assistant on Pallone’s staff for just over a year when she decided to begin her studies through Maxwell-in-Washington, based at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

“Maxwell has a serious reputation for its high-caliber focus on foreign policy and security studies, so I knew it would be the right school to help me put a lens on the problems that matter to me,” says Peterson. “I made all of my course work about energy, climate change and natural resources, and it really worked for me.”

She adds, “What happens out in the world affects our domestic politics, but also what we do here at home affects America’s standing in the world and ability to lead. This degree program helped me feel like I have better context for the choices our leaders make, whether I support them or feel that they are shortsighted.”

Flexible scheduling enabled Peterson to complete her academic work while continuing her position on the Hill. She appreciated that, and the perspectives and expertise offered by the unique mix of scholars and practitioners who teach in Maxwell’s D.C. programs. They include Danica Starks, senior U.S. commercial liaison and advisor to the World Bank’s U.S. executive director; Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States; and Bejoy Das Gupta, chief economist for eCurrency.