Federal government chooses two students for fellowship in public administration

SAN FRANCISCO, May 1, 2006 -- Two students in San Francisco State University's Master of Public Administration Program -- Thomas Radwick and Jesse Wolovoy -- were selected for the federal government's Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) Program by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

"The PMF Program is the nation's most prestigious management training program for students graduating with degrees in public administration, management or policy," said Professor Genie Stowers, director of SF State's Public Administration Program. "It's really a fast-track, management training program."

SF State has the highest number of fellows among all 23 California State University campuses. CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU Sacramento and San Diego State University each has one fellow. Stanford University also has one fellow.

Radwick and Wolovoy attended a recent PMF job fair in Washington, D.C., where hundreds of federal agencies including bureaus of defense, national security and international policy interviewed fellows for positions in the executive branch of the government. Radwick and Wolovoy hope to land jobs with a Bay Area-based regional office.

Radwick, a San Francisco resident, is interested in welfare issues and hopes to receive an appointment with a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that handles Medicare health plans. With an interest in welfare states and a knack for writing, he has interviewed for such positions as communications specialist and management analyst.

"At this point, I'd rather work in a field office than in Washington," Radwick said. "Field office work tends to involve the implementation of policies created in D.C."

Wolovoy, an Oakland resident, had 15 interviews during the three-day job fair and is scheduled for second interviews with the departments of Housing and Urban Development and HHS, Social Security Administration and Office of Personnel Management. After 10 years of experience in the public sector and completion of her degree with an emphasis on policy analysis, Wolovoy hopes to land a position that focuses on community and economic development.

"I'm interested in actually seeing policy implemented and working with agencies on a more local level," Wolovoy said.