The Maxwell School is pleased to welcome three new Robertson Fellows within the 2019 – 2020 cohort of incoming public administration and international affairs graduate students. All three are pursuing dual degrees — a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and a Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) — to further their careers in international peace, security and development, with a commitment to work for the Federal Government for at least three of their first five years after graduation.

The Robertson Foundation for Government’s mission is to inspire the best and brightest U.S. graduate students to pursue long-term federal government careers in foreign policy, national security, and international affairs. Maxwell is one of five schools nationwide to which the foundation has provided grants to fund the education of exceptional students focusing on public service careers. Those grants cover full tuition for two years of study, plus a living stipend, health insurance, and assistance in finding a summer internship. At Maxwell, recipients typically pursue a two-year joint or dual degree.

Josephine (Josie) Glenn graduated magna cum laude from Sewanee University in 2015 with a bachelor of arts in political science. Her professional and academic experience has been grounded in advocacy and public service, both domestically and abroad. In her local community she has volunteered at a crisis clinic and a domestic violence shelter. While working abroad, her work has been focused on public health and human rights. She worked at a domestic NGO in Uganda to build programs focused on the de-stigmatization of HIV/AIDS, as well as to teach and provide public health information. She also served as a public health volunteer with Peace Corps Burkina Faso. During her college study abroad, she focused on human rights including democracy building in Nepal, the refugee crisis in Jordan, and indigenous rights with the Mapuche tribe in Chile. Since graduating she has worked as an Institutional Review Board member at the Department of Social and Health Services in Washington State, and as legal support staff at the Attorney General’s Office in San Francisco. While at the Maxwell School, Josie hopes to continue to develop her skills in advocacy and public service, and build a career focused on the protection of human rights.

Annastasia Hirt received a bachelor of arts in international affairs from the George Washington University Elliott School in 2014 and has worked for nonprofit organizations furthering women’s economic and political empowerment and global health, as well as the U.S. government in the House of Representatives and the Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Annastasia served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in western Rwanda, where she led community and national projects focused on youth empowerment, gender equity, education, and financial literacy. Most recently, Annastasia worked in local government as the outreach & information liaison for the Salt Lake City Department of Public Services. She hopes to work in foreign service with USAID after graduation.

Holly Ratcliffe earned a BA in international affairs at the George Washington University’s Elliott School in 2015. She focused on Middle Eastern affairs and Arabic, and studied abroad in both Amman, Jordan, and Muscat, Oman.  Before coming to Maxwell, Holly worked at Meridian International Center in Washington, D.C., where she helped coordinate the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). While in this role, she administered large initiatives such as the Global Threat Cooperation and the 2018 International Women of Courage Awards (IWOC). Prior to joining Meridian, Holly lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she worked with the nonprofits Creativity for Peace and the Santa Fe Council on International Relations. In addition to pursuing an MPA/MAIR at Maxwell, she is working toward a Certificate of Advanced Study in International Security Studies, with plans to pursue a career in international security, focusing on countering violent extremism at the grassroots level.

Ratcliffe’s fellowship is co-funded by University Professor Sean O’Keefe ’78 MPA (also Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership) and his wife Laura. This is the fourth Robertson Fellow they have generously funded.

These Fellows join three second-year Robertson Fellows, also all pursuing an MPA/IR.

Roger Gildersleeve is studying the relationship between China’s environmental policies, foreign policy, and national security. After completing his degree, he expects to enter the foreign service with the U.S. Department of State.

Erica Stuke is working toward a career in international security and conflict management, with a focus on illicit financing of terrorism and the use of development as a tool for counterterrorism. She hopes to do this work at the U.S. State or Treasury Departments.

Charlotte Volpe plans to take advantage of South Asian regional emphases at Maxwell, with the goal of focusing on that region as a foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State or other internationally focused agency. Volpe’s fellowship is co-funded by Joseph A. Strasser ’53 BA (History)/’58 MPA.

A fourth 2018-19 Strasser/Robertson Fellow, Allison Haugen, completed her MPA before being accepted into the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Institute. She looks forward to receiving her assignment upon completion.

07/18/19