Bridge Alliance and the National Academy of Public Administration are partnering to co-create the Fellows for Democracy and Public Service Initiative, a first of its kind cross-sector fellowship to elevate distributed leadership across the democracy reform and civic renewal landscape. The initiative brings together the Academy’s distinguished Fellows and the Bridge Alliances dynamic, cross-sector ecosystem to integrate institutional wisdom with civic imagination
“We believe it is imperative this work results in clear, actionable recommendations for reform and renewal. This program is not designed to generate more awareness. Instead, it is built to produce executable action plans: translating research and dialogue into tangible reforms, and generating actionable insights through collaboration with diverse stakeholders,” said James-Christian Blockwood, President & CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration.
“These fellows bring extraordinary talent and experience for addressing some central challenges we face as a nation. They are building a leadership infrastructure for the future
of American democracy,” said David Nevins, founder and board chair of the Bridge Alliance.
Fellows will anchor their work in six core sectors, each stewarding a vital component of a thriving democratic republic (full biographies of the fellows are below).
- Public Service Leadership and Civil Service Reform. Fellow Vince Micone will create “Forging the Next 250: Building America’s Next Public Service Pipeline.” This project will explore how the federal government can build a modern, diverse, and resilient talent pipeline—one that prepares the next generation of public servants to lead the nation into its next 250 years.
- Voting and Elections. Fellow Shaniqua Williams will create “The Hidden Infrastructure of Democracy: Professionalizing and Diversifying Election Staff.” The project will focus on strengthening election administration by developing an evidence-based framework for training and professionalizing and expanding pathways that diversify the election
- Bridging & Dialogue. Fellow Kristina Becvar will create “From Dialogue to Direction: Rebuilding Shared Civic Purpose in a Fragmented Democracy.” The project seeks to address an increasingly consequential challenge in the bridging community: the lack of shared purpose, coordination, and narrative coherence among those working to strengthen American democracy itself.
- Electoral Systems Reform. Fellows Ted Delicath and Beth Hladick will create “The 2026 Primary Problem: Diagnosing the Divide.” The project will leverage the 2026 midterms to shift the national narrative from "horse race" coverage to structural analysis and rigorously document how partisan primaries disenfranchise voters and fuel polarization.
- Trustworthy Information Leads to Trust in Government. Fellow Joel Gurin will create “Regaining Public Trust in Federal Data and Information.” The project will explore current obstacles to public trust in data, with a focus on public federal data, and recommend remedies.
- Pluralism. Fellows Kimberly Walton and Tamara L. Miller will create “Pluralism as a Civic Operating System: Building a Democracy of Dignity.” The project seeks to reframe pluralism as a practical system for navigating demographic, cultural, and increasingly economic and geographic divides.
A Shared Commitment to Durable Civic Infrastructure
This partnership between the Bridge Alliance and the Academy reflects their shared commitment to building durable civic infrastructure rooted in collaboration, powered by expertise, and guided by purpose.
About the National Academy of Public Administration: Chartered by Congress to provide nonpartisan expert advice, the Academy is an independent nonprofit organization established in 1967 to assist government leaders in building more effective, efficient, accountable, and transparent organizations. Learn more at www.napawash.org.
About Bridge Alliance Education Fund: Bridge Alliance Education Fund is a catalyst organization empowering a diverse democracy-renewal movement through civic engagement, media innovation, leadership development, and bridge-building across differences.
Fellows’ Biographies
