Laurel McFarland

Nothing is more important to the future of United States governance than the skills and determination of the people who serve it. For two decades, I led NAPA’s sister association, NASPAA, where the two institutions share the challenge of ensuring that students are prepared for the demands of the next generation of public service. My commitment to advancing quality of that education took me around the world in search of best practices in government hiring, and in pursuit of immersive, effective pedagogy. My graduate training in economic policy history and the economics of higher education spurred an interest in the evolution of governing institutions, the importance of human capital, and how we got to where we are. After some research jobs at Brookings, NAS, and the European Commission, I came to NASPAA to develop my practical interest in improving education for public service. I have taken NASPAA through globalization in membership, accreditation standards revisions, annual conferences, student simulation competitions, the White House for the Pathways Executive Order, and most recently, the dark days of the pandemic’s uncertainty and dislocation. I hope that we can deepen and broaden the partnership between NAPA and NASPAA in the years ahead, to make education for public service integral to all we do to improve the nation's governance.