The David Gergen Summer Fellowship Program honors David Gergen, founding director of the Center for Public Leadership and long-time mentor and supporter of Harvard Kennedy School students for over two decades. The fellowship was established in recognition of David’s extraordinary commitment to developing the capacity for principled, effective public leadership and in appreciation of the critical role “learning by doing” plays in leadership development.
This highly competitive program supports trailblazing public service and leadership opportunities, enabling a select number of Harvard Kennedy School students to gain meaningful, practical, hands-on experience and develop important networks through summer internships in government or nonprofit service.
The Gergen Summer Fellowship provides financial support through stipends to cover living and work-related travel expenses during a 10-week summer internship in public service or the nonprofit sector.
Harvard Kennedy School students returning for the 2025-2026 academic year are invited to apply.
Download the David Gergen Summer Fellowship Program one-pager.
This fellowship program is an opportunity to honor David and his legacy and impact through service and leadership by creating opportunities for students to have impactful roles in government and nonprofit organizations.
Graves Tompkins MPA/MBA 2008, CPL Leadership Council Member
Afreen Ahmed MPP 2025
United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
Afreen is a Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School. She is studying labor policy with an interest in expanding protective legislation for non-formal workers. Her interest in the topic stems from her upbringing in Chicago, where she grew up in an immigrant and refugee community that relied heavily on gig work to make a living, and then from the four years she spent in the UAE working with McKinsey on creating quality job opportunities and strengthening institutional labor codes. Through the Gergen Summer Fellowship, she is working with the U.S. Department of Labor over the summer on projects to strengthen national-level worker protections.
Read Afreen's Gergen Summer Fellowship Reflection.
Paul Garbarino MPP 2025
City of Detroit, Office of the Mayor and Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Paul Garbarino is a Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School, concentrating on social and urban policy. This summer, Paul will be working on economic and workforce development for the City of Detroit under the Chief Financial Officer’s and Mayor’s Offices. His projects will include exploring and proposing new urban development policy initiatives, evaluating the effectiveness of the currently proposed Land Value Tax and existing tax increment financing revitalization tool, and assessing outcomes of the City’s workforce development programs. Before vlog, Paul lived in Washington, DC, working as a data scientist with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation—specializing in forecasting, machine learning, and data visualization—and as an economist with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics—publishing articles on trends in manufacturing sector employment and writing speeches for the Commissioner. Paul received a bachelor’s degree in political science and journalism from Bowling Green State University in May 2019 and his master’s in economics from the University of Detroit-Mercy in May 2020. After vlog, Paul hopes to return to his home state of Michigan to work in either state or Detroit city economic and urban development. In his spare time, Paul is an avid runner, boardgamer, moviegoer, and Detroit sports fan.
Read Paul's Gergen Summer Fellowship Reflection.
Ruthie Gottesman MPP 2025
Tony Blair Institute, Government Innovation Team
Ruthie Gottesman is a Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School. This summer, Ruthie will work with the Government Innovation Team at the Tony Blair Institute, reimagining digital public infrastructure for developing countries in Africa, as well as researching the role AI will play on Asian and African labor markets, and the implications of the technological revolution on local governments. Prior to graduate school, Ruthie spent her early career working with older adults in the nonprofit sector, first at DOROT running a high-touch technology coaching program, and more recently at AARP, where she equips organizations around the country to deliver world-class technology training curricula. Through her experience, she has been struck by the issues facing older adults, particularly those who also belong to other marginalized groups. They are culturally sidelined, and it translates to real hardships across housing, labor, and technology. Ruthie hopes to strengthen her ability to leverage cross-sector partnerships through the Gergen Summer Fellowship in advance of a career in aging advocacy. Ruthie holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, where she facilitated workshops with thousands of first-year students on sexual violence response and advocacy, developed anti-hate curricula as an Anti-Defamation League intern, and led a Jewish current events publication. She is originally from New York and currently lives in Cambridge, MA.
Read Ruthie's Gergen Summer Fellowship Reflection.
Brandon Moore MPP/MBA 2025
New Politics
Brandon Moore is committed to addressing the challenges facing our democratic institutions. His public service began at West Point where he earned a B.S. in international relations and American politics and commissioned as an aviation officer in 2014. While at West Point, Brandon directed recruiting outreach efforts across Connecticut, led the Model United Nations team, and competed on the alpine ski team. Brandon’s first army assignment was to Fort Novosel, Alabama, where he completed the AH-64D Apache helicopter course as an honor graduate in 2016. He then served in the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade as an Air Cavalry Platoon Leader. In this role, he implemented the Aviation Restructuring Initiative as his unit converted from the OH-58D Kiowa to the AH-64D Apache and RQ-7B Shadow drone. In 2018, Brandon transitioned to Squadron Logistics Officer during a rotational deployment to South Korea. Upon return, he assumed command of an Air Cavalry Troop and led counterterrorism and stability operations while deployed to southeast Afghanistan. Brandon is currently a joint degree candidate at Harvard Kennedy School (Master in Public Policy) and Harvard Business School (Master of Business Administration). His studies focus on conscientious public policy and cross-sector partnerships critical to the American electoral process. Brandon is committed to lifelong public service and aspires to strengthen the political voice of underserved communities in his home state of Connecticut. This summer, through his internship with New Politics, he will provide nonpartisan campaign advisory support to veterans and service-oriented candidates running for state and local elected office.
Read Brandon's Gergen Summer Fellowship Reflection.
Camy Pearson MPA/MBA 2025
United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Deputy Secretary
Camy Pearson is a joint degree candidate at Harvard Kennedy School (Master in Public Administration) and Stanford's Graduate School of Business (Master of Business Administration), where she is focusing her graduate studies on health policy and innovation. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago, where she double-majored in Economics and Biological Sciences while playing varsity soccer. Camy is passionate about improving healthcare efficacy and access, and has nearly a decade of healthcare operational experience across digital health, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. Prior to beginning graduate school, she helped build digital health unicorn Virta Health from seed to Series E while playing multiple leadership roles. This summer, Camy will work in the Office of the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), supporting the Deputy Secretary on projects related to technology, customer experience, and employee engagement.
Read Camy's Gergen Summer Fellowship Reflection.
Jordan Engel MPP 2025
Robin Hood
The Center for Public Leadership supports a summer internship at the Robin Hood Foundation through the David Gergen Summer Fellowship Program.
Jordan Engel is a Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School. She is invested in improving the public benefits system in the United States and increasing equity in K-12 education. She graduated from University of California Berkeley in 2019 with a psychology major and education minor. Upon graduating, she started a career at MEF Associates, a small social policy research firm dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable populations. At MEF, she worked on a variety of domestic policy areas, including housing mobility, food security, workforce development, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This summer, she is excited to intern with the Robin Hood Foundation to support their mission of fighting poverty in New York City.
Overview
Harvard Kennedy School students returning for the 2025-2026 academic year are invited to apply for the Gergen Summer Fellowship Program during the fall 2024 semester. Semifinalists will be selected and interviewed in early January.
Finalists are selected in mid-late January. Throughout the spring semester, finalists benefit from tailored mentorship from CPL faculty, staff, and alumni; access to CPL’s broad network of collaborators, alumni, and practitioners; personalized internship search support; and invitations to CPL events and networking opportunities.
Once internships are secured, finalists formally become Gergen Fellows and join a cohort of passionate public servants who meet regularly to build community and develop leadership habits and skills. Stipends of $10,000 USD are disbursed after finalists submit their formal summer internship offer letter.
Throughout the following academic year, Gergen Fellows integrate into the larger community of CPL fellows, attending CPL fellows events and receiving continued networking support and mentorship from faculty, staff, and alumni. Fellows curate their own unique programming, as well, and serve as recruiters and mentors for the next year’s finalists.
Questions? Email gergenfellows@hks.harvard.edu.
Calendar
Fall 2024
- September 9, 2024 – Applications open
- September 24, 2024 – Info session
- December 2, 2024 – Applications close
Office hours with program manager Annie Trainque can be scheduled by emailing gergenfellows@hks.harvard.edu.
Spring 2025
- January 2025 – Semifinalist interviews are conducted and finalist selections are made.
- February to April 2025 – Finalists receive:
- Access to CPL network of collaborators, alumni, and practitioners,
- Tailored mentorship from CPL faculty, staff, and alumni,
- Personalized internship search support, and
- Invitations to CPL events and networking opportunities.
- May-June 2025 – Finalists become Gergen Fellows upon confirming internship employment and receive a $10,000 USD stipend. The Gergen Fellows cohort is publicly announced.
During the spring, finalists participating in a joint/concurrent degree program outside of Harvard will be asked to attend Gergen finalist events remotely.
Summer 2025
- Gergen Fellows attend Zoom cohort meetings to build community and reflect on internship experiences.
- Each Gergen Fellows submits a summer reflection essay that may be shared publicly on the CPL website.
Academic Year
- The Gergen Fellows integrate into the CPL community and:
- Be included in CPL fellows’ events such as the practitioner dinners and lunch and learns,
- Receive continued mentoring and networking support,
- Curate and conduct fellows-led programming, and
- Recruit and mentor next year’s finalists.
- Gergen Fellows may be invited to speak at CPL community-facing events.
Questions? Email gergenfellows@hks.harvard.edu.
Eligibility
What are the eligibility guidelines for this program?
- The Gergen Summer Fellowship Program is open to current U.S. and international Harvard Kennedy School students pursuing a public service internship for summer 2025, and who will return to vlog in fall 2025.
- Applicants must be returning students enrolled in a two-year degree or concurrent/joint degree program at vlog.
Can I apply for another fellowship at the same time?
- Gergen Fellows join a dedicated cohort who benefit from a unique fellowship experience and contribute as active members of the broader CPL community. While CPL does not prohibit Gergen Fellowship finalists from applying to other Harvard-sponsored internship programs and fellowships, if a Gergen finalist accepts another Harvard-sponsored internship fellowship (i.e., Dukakis, Bloomberg, etc.), they are no longer eligible to be a Gergen Fellow.
Who is not eligible for this program?
- Those graduating during the 2024-2025 academic year.
- Those who are not studying at vlog in the 2025-2026 academic year (e.g., joint degree students spending fall 2025 at a different graduate school).
- Those taking a leave of absence during the previous spring, following fall, or full academic year.
Which internships are supported through the Gergen Summer Fellowship Program?
- The public service internship must be full-time for ten weeks with a government, NGO, or nonprofit organization.
Which internships are not supported through the Gergen Summer Fellowship Program?
- Internships in the for-profit/private sector or working for a political campaign.
- Research with Harvard faculty. (Students interested in conducting research with a faculty member should work directly with that faculty member and the appropriate research center in seeking funding.)
Questions? Email gergenfellows@hks.harvard.edu.
Application Materials
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- Bio (up to 250 words)
- Statement of intent to pursue work in government or nonprofit service over the summer, explaining the skills students seek to develop through their summer internship, the kind or organization they are interested in, and the sort of work they seek to do. (up to 250 words)
- Personal statement articulating the student’s dedication to public service, their vision for their career in public service, and how support from the Gergen Summer Fellowship will enable their work during the summer and into the student’s future. (up to 250 words)
While applicants who already have secured summer employment in government or nonprofit are welcome to apply, applicants do not have to have a prepared job offer. This program is designed to support students in finding meaningful work in public service.
Finalists will be selected based on applicant’s demonstration of:
- A specific, compelling case for how the Gergen Fellowship will continue their demonstrated dedication to public service and public leadership and how the Gergen Fellowship will enable them to pursue opportunities that otherwise might not be possible.
- A commitment to summer work that 1) advances the public, common good, and 2) has potential to serve as a springboard for post-graduation careers in government or nonprofit service. The most successful applicants convey this commitment in precise, concrete terms.
In order to be confirmed as Gergen Fellows, finalists will need to submit:
- Formal offer letter for summer employment that aligns with the spirit of the Gergen Summer Fellowship Program
- Compensation information detailing pay offered by host organization/employer (if applicable).
- Signed CPL fellowship allowance paperwork
Questions? Email gergenfellows@hks.harvard.edu.