Kathryn Berndtson
MHS, Social and Behavioral Interventions (SBI) 

Katie Berndtson is a graduating MHS student who currently works at the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty as the Technical Manager for Health Programs. In June, she will start her new position as a Presidential Management Fellow in the federal government’s Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards at the Department of Veterans Affairs.  

The Presidential Management Fellows Program was developed to attract outstanding young professionals from a variety of academic disciplines committed to excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. Candidates are first nominated by their school and then complete a federal assessment exam. Once accepted into the two-year paid fellowship program, fellows are hired by a federal agency.

Berndtson is looking forward to this new step in her career and making a difference in the health of one of the nation’s most vulnerable populations. She is especially excited to work under a new administration for which she canvassed door-to-door in Virginia last year. She sees her new position as an opportunity “to contribute in a small way to the changes I hoped to see.”