Barton, Lunney appointed as SINSI co-directors

The University appointed Frederick Barton and Kathryn Lunney as co-directors of the Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, effective September 1.

Barton and Lunney were named co-directors of SINSI on Aug. 8 and succeeded Hilda Arellano, who held the position since 2014.

The goal of the SINSI program is to set outstanding individuals on the path toward public service careers in the U.S. government, focusing on both domestic policy and international affairs through academic training that is integrated with work experience in federal agencies.

“What we’re hoping to do with all this is to try to see the talent pool coming into the program on campus expanded and therefore placing people with huge amount of talent into the federal government,” Lunney said.

The co-directors explained that SINSI, a program established in 2006, offers scholarships for a graduate program and an undergraduate internship program.

The graduate program offers a two-year SINSI-supported fellowship with an Executive Branch department or agency, generally placed between the first and second year of the Master in Public Affairs program. The SINSI scholarship covers both years of graduate study and two years of stipend based on government salary during the fellowship.

The undergraduate internship fully funds rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors with an eight-to-ten week summer internship at a government agency in their area of interest. Past internships have included positions at the White House, U.S. embassies, the Departments of Treasury, State, Education, Energy, and Justice, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and more.

“We’re emphasizing that we like the way the program is going and we’re excited about making it even better,” Barton said. “It’s just a wonderful opportunity for talented young people to really get onto the next chapter of their lives and make a difference.”

Barton, a lecturer at the Woodrow Wilson School and the leader of a Woodrow Wilson Task Force seminar, will act as the primary head of this University program.

Lunney explained that she would spend a great deal of time in Washington, D.C., allowing for a closer interaction between administrators and the students undertaking government internships and fellowship rotations. In doing this, she will work to expand the program at the home front.

Both Barton and Lunney bring decades of experience in public and international affairs, with extensive knowledge in not only federal work but also private corporations and non-profits.

Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Barton’s diplomatic career of more than 20 years includes Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations at the U.S. Department of State and U.S. ambassador to the Economic and Social Council at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, as well as the founding director of the Office of Transition Initiatives at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

With a vast career as a lawyer and business executive, some of Lunney’s achievements include helping to write the regulations to implement Title IX, acting as Intergovernmental Relations Officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and serving as Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“Broadening the base of government agencies that we’re looking at for students is something that is very appealing for us,” Lunney added.

The co-directors view their new profession as the next logical step in their careers involved with the federal government.

“We both feel that promoting next generation of talent is as good as public service gets,” Barton said. “Getting talented people and encouraging them to pursue these opportunities in a creative way allows them to build very strong networks.”

Barton commented that the co-directors’ unique relationship would prove to be an asset as they strive towards raising SINSI to new heights.

“We’ve been married 41 years and we really enjoy working together,” Barton commented. “We have not had a chance to work together in this way apart from parenting, so we are very excited for the opportunity.”

Lunney aims to maintain close relationships with past and present SINSI scholars in order to promote more interest in the program.

“SINSI scholars have been going out to the engineering and econ buildings as well as dining halls and dorms to have individual conversations with potential applicants, helping students understand how these internships lend themselves to broad possibilities,” Lunney said.

When searching for the most deserving SINSI applicants, a commitment to service is huge, both co-directors affirmed.

“If you look at the profiles of SINSI scholars, they are very diverse but they all are taking terrific advantage of the program to figure out how they can serve,” Barton said.

The co-directors also cited their ongoing work with the Richard H. Ullman Fellowship, which was established in 2014 to grant recipients the opportunity to participate in a “one-year, career-defining practitioner experience in the field of international affairs,” according to the Woodrow Wilson School website.

This fellowship will be awarded annually to between one and three students from seniors to graduate students who conduct “a significant international project in a full-time assignment for one year with one U.S. federal government agency, international NGO, or a multilateral institution in the U.S. or overseas.”

Tom Tasche ’13 GS described how SINSI first enabled him to attain an undergraduate summer internship in the East Asia Office at the U.S. Treasury Dept. and later negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the Treasury, allowing him to return as a full-time desk economist covering Japan for his fellowship as a graduate student.

Beyond that, SINSI sponsored Tasche’s year-long placement as an advisor to the U.S. Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London.

“Beyond filling my CV out with some real substance, these were incredibly rewarding rotations that let me work on portfolios typically reserved for career civil servants with more qualifications and experience,” Tasche explained.

According to Tasche, the role of the SINSI Director is paramount; they advise scholars on agencies and postings that might satisfy their interests, advocate on their behalf throughout the federal government to open up internship and fellowship opportunities, and ensure that all scholars are equipped to make the most of their placements, he added.

“I’ve only just met Rick and Kit, but from what I’ve seen they bring all the necessary ingredients to the job — energy, experience, connections, and a delightful conviviality,” Tasche said of Barton and Lunney.

Pursuing her dream to work in endangered species conservation ever since she was seven years old, Alex Kasdin ’14 MPA talked about her ongoing SINSI-supported fellowship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“SINSI and my incredible mentors at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have allowed me to do so much in the world of wildlife conservation,” said Kasdin.

At the beginning of her fellowship, Kasdin worked primarily on the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program, an initiative that aims to increase outreach into urban communities and enhance public involvement in conservation.

The SINSI scholar has since moved towards the regulatory side of wildlife conservation, confronting Endangered Species Act issues in the Service’s Mountain-Prairie Region and focusing on grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

“It's incredibly challenging, and sometimes discouraging work, but I know that I am helping to ensure my children will have the privilege of seeing the animals that inspire me every day,” Kasdin said.

Clarification: Due to an editing error, a paragraph about Ullman fellowship was misplaced in an earlier version of this article.