Guest blog by Lisa Cacari Stone, IPP ’25 One of the deepest shifts for me has been realizing, as Matt told us, that ‘policy work is about people’—not just about ideas or analysis. I came into the course often frustrated that we had good ideas in Santa Fe but struggled to implement them. I now…Continue Reading Addressing Fragmented Housing and Behavioral Health Systems in Santa Fe County
Guest blog by Camilo Espitia, IPP ’25 Throughout this course, I’ve come to appreciate the power of taking a wholistic perspective when tackling complex problems. What initially seemed like a straightforward issue quickly revealed multiple dimensions—shaped not only by data, but by how others perceive the problem, how we present it, and how we interact with the people affected by…Continue Reading A Journey Toward Solving Mobility Challenges in Lowell, Massachusetts
Guest blog by Ekhlas Ahmed, IPP ’25 One of the biggest lessons I learned through the IPP course is that policy is about people. The technical aspects of problem-solving are important, but what truly moves work forward is building relationships, engaging stakeholders, and creating coalitions that keep momentum alive. I also learned the importance of finding my…Continue Reading Reducing Workforce Shortages in Maine Through Policy and Partnership
Guest blog by Melissa Velez, IPP ’23 Since early 2020, the City of Allentown, in Eastern Pennsylvania, has been working on a complete zoning code rewrite. The plan has been to go from a typical Euclidian type of code to more of a form-based code. The project was stalled for a couple of years due…Continue Reading Zoning in on the Problem: Using PDIA to Build Affordable Housing in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Guest blog by Melissa Velez, IPP ’24 The experiences and learning within the Implementing Public Policy course helped me to look deeper into the problems faced within my city, gave me a step-by-step process to work through those problems with my team, and encouraged me to reflect on my personal leadership and time management skills….Continue Reading Using Zoning to Reduce the Affordable Housing Crisis in Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Guest blog by Brian Vandenberg, IPP ’24 When I first enrolled in the Harvard Kennedy School’s Implementing Public Policy (IPP) program, I had no idea how transformative the experience would be. At the time, I was working in Tallahassee, Florida, grappling with a particularly pressing challenge: how to make public transportation more financially sustainable within…Continue Reading Changing Jobs and Changing Frameworks for Problem Solving
Guest blog by Joseph Wilson Jr, IPP ’24 I have spent 30 years of my professional life working as an artist. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a BA in Government/Political Science, I had every intention of going to law school and some day running for political office. That was the plan,…Continue Reading Building Resiliency and Sustainability in Providence’s Arts and Cultural Sector
Guest blog by Melissa Banks, LEG ’24 The greatest learnings I’m taking away from this course are related to identifying achievable, incremental, and specific solutions that address binding constraints relevant to nearly any challenge (beyond development challenges). The idea of evolving solutions that build upon one another over time alleviates the pressure taking on significant…Continue Reading Solar Generation in New Mexico
Guest blog by Jeremy Flowers, IPP ’24 I was born and raised in New England, where Harvard University holds mythological levels of prestige. So, when I applied for the Kennedy School’s Implementing Public Policy program, I expected knowledge and skills that couldn’t be obtained anywhere else, and world-class presentations by dazzlingly brilliant professors. I was…Continue Reading Coordinating Workforce Development Services in Rural Arizona
Guest blog by Tom Brauer, Justin D. Farley, Amber Pollock In Wyoming, much like throughout the United States, communities lack access to revenue and control of the revenue-raising mechanisms needed to self-determine their future. Over the past 12 weeks, The Wild Optimists have been immersed in the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) course, where we’ve grown…Continue Reading Exploring the lack of access to revenue in Wyoming
