History of the Fellows Program
From one Truman Fellow…
The NRDP Rural Policy Fellows Program was originally named the NRDP Truman Fellows Program. The program is the result of a 12-year old partnership between the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation and USDA Rural Development begun in 1992 when USDA Rural Development, which provides national level staff support to the NRDP, granted its first NRDP Truman Fellowship to Betsy Hubbard, a 1991 Truman Scholar from Ohio. USDA-RD has granted at least one NRDP Truman Fellowship every year since. (For more information on Truman Scholars, please see the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation's website.)
…to an NRDP Rural Policy Fellows Program…
In 1995, other Federal NRDP partners in began granting NRDP Truman Fellowships to Truman Scholars, thereby creating an NRDP Truman Fellows Program. By 2000-2001, the NRDP Truman Fellows Program had grown to nine Fellows (4 at USDA-RD, 2 at HHS, 1 at VA, 1 at DOL, 1 at DOT).
In 2002, due to the increasing success and popularity of the NRDP Truman Fellows Program, and a limited pool of Truman Scholars applying for rural-focused NRDP Fellowships, the Program was temporarily expanded to include other Honors Fellows. These highly qualified candidates were selected using the same highly competitive NRDP standards as applied to Truman Scholar applicants, and the expanded NRDP Truman & Honors Fellows Program has been consistently recognized as a successful component of the NRDP. In 2004, in order to give a more fitting description of the group and to encourage greater depth and networking advantages, the title of the program was changed to the NRDP Rural Policy Fellows Program.
In 2003, the NRDP National Partnership Office (NPO) was integrated into USDA-RD Office of Community Development, and has been administered by USDA-RD since the NRDP began in 1990.
As of May 2005, the NPO and the Office of Community Development have been
scheduled for realignment within USDA. During this period of transition, the
Rural Policy Fellows Program will continue at other agencies, but no new Fellows
will be hired by USDA until the realignment process is complete.
Past NRDP Rural Policy Fellows
(Truman & Honors Fellows)
2004-2005
Jennifer Larson (ND), USDA-RD Office of Community Development
Elizabeth Peck (CO), USDA-RD Office of Community Development
Nathanael Watson (GA), USDA-RD Office of Community Development
2003-2004
David Barr (NE), USDA-RD Office of Community Development
Conley Chaney (KY), USDA-RD Office of Community Development
Esther Ellsworth (AZ), USDA-RD Office of Community Development
Jenna Musselman (PA), DOT/ NRDP Livable Rural Communities Task Force
Dorothy Stone (FL), Department of Health and Human Services
Anthony Swift (TX), Department of Veterans Affairs
Vivian Velasco (CA), USDA-RD Office of Community Development
Craig Williamson (IL), HHS Office of Rural Health Policy
2002-2003
David Barr (NE), National Partnership Office
Tia Trout (KY), National Partnership Office
Vivian Velasco (CA), National Partnership Office
Jay Surdukowski (NH), Department of Health and Human Services
Joy McGlaun (TX), HHS IGA & Office of Rural Health Policy
Andrea Strobel (OR), Department of Veterans Affairs
Mary Sivage (MT), Department of Transportation
2001-2002
Mark Bradshaw (KS), National Partnership Office
Amy Cyphert (WV), National Partnership Office
Benjamin Huebner (VT), National Partnership Office
Josh Mandelbaum (IA), Department of Transportation
Sheila McCoy (IA), Department of Labor & National Partnership Office
Nicole Glawe (MN), Department of Veterans Affairs
Sandra Chapin (CA), Department of Health and Human Services
Suzanne Powell (WA), HHS & Office of Rural Health Policy
2000-2001
Erin Dougherty (OR), National Partnership Office
Shawn Vogt Sween (MN), National Partnership Office
Leslie Medema (SD), National Partnership Office
Shanna Whitley (TX), National Partnership Office
Helen Huarca (MD), Department of Health and Human Services
Sarah Vokes (WI), Department of Health and Human Services
Kimberly Jones (CT), Department of Veterans Affairs
Erik Van Hagen (CA), Department of Labor
Catherine Potter (IL), Department of Transportation
1999-2000
Dustin Johnson (SD), National Partnership Office
Kelly Thornburg (ID), National Partnership Office
Lisa Powell (OH), Department of Health and Human Services
Kymberly Evans (WA), Department of Veterans Affairs
Brendan Kelly (MN), Department of Labor
Melody Flowers (WV), Department of Transportation
Lori Fixley (OK), Department of Housing and Urban Development
1998-1999
Julie Zwibelman (MO), National Partnership Office
Jamal Harris (NJ), Department of Health and Human Services
Joe Woodring (PA), Department of Veterans Affairs
Ann Ochsendorf (WV), Department of Labor
Corine Hegland (MN), Department of Transportation
1997-1998
Brian Steeves (MN), National Partnership Office
Jill French (IA), Department of Health and Human Services
Winston Brathwaite (VI), Department of Veterans Affairs
Ben Beach (MN), Department of Labor
Julie Anderson (NE), Department of Transportation
1996-1997
Darci Vetter (NE), National Partnership Office
Yuri Iwaoka (HA), Department of Health and Human Services
Amy Haavisto (WI), Department of Veterans Affairs
Mindy Glover (SD), Department of Transportation
1995-1996
Jason Dickerson (WV), National Partnership Office
Matthew Holian (NE), Department of Health and Human Services
Janet Friedl (WY), Department of Transportation
1994-1995
Brian Newman (OR), National Partnership Office
1993-1994
Tracey Munza (WV), National Partnership Office
1992-1993
Betsy Hubbard (OH), National Partnership Office
