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O’Neill MPA student, Asrorbek Parpiev supports national policy education with NASPAA internship

Posted on by Caroline Rourke

Asrorbek Parpiev presenting his data work at the 2025 NASPAA Admissions Professionals Conference.
Asrorbek Parpiev presenting his data work at the 2025 NASPAA Admissions Professionals Conference.

For Master of Public Affairs student Asrorbek Parpiev, this summer marks a major milestone: contributing to public service education through his internship at the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). As the 2025 higher education and data intern, Parpiev is supporting NASPAA’s mission by turning complex data into insights that help member schools improve their programs and advance equity in the public sector.

While interning with NASPAA, Parpiev has analyzed data from the 2025 Admissions and Enrollment Survey, which collects insights from the current admissions cycle to better understand national trends in the public affairs pipeline. He presented his findings to a national audience of educators and administrators at NASPAA’s 2025 Admissions Conference earlier this month.

His path to this opportunity was shaped by a deep commitment to global service. That drive has guided his academic and professional journey across borders, institutions, and disciplines.

“Growing up in Uzbekistan, I dreamed of representing my country on the global stage,” he said. “That passion led me to study international relations at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan.”

While interning at the Permanent Mission of Uzbekistan in Vienna, Austria, Parpiev gained valuable firsthand experience in diplomacy, but also a broader perspective on how global challenges are addressed.

“These experiences taught me a lot about diplomacy, but they also made me realize something important: addressing global development challenges requires more than diplomatic skills—it also requires strong quantitative and analytical expertise,” he said.

That realization led him to the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, one of the nation’s top-ranked programs for public affairs, where he is pursuing his MPA with a concentration in Policy Analysis.

“I chose the Master of Public Affairs program at O’Neill because of its strong emphasis on quantitative training and practical problem-solving,” he said. “The program’s strong focus on quantitative analysis and evidence-based decision-making has given me skills to work with complex data and turn it into meaningful insights.”

Now, those skills are being put to use at NASPAA. In addition to analyzing the 2025 Admissions and Enrollment Survey, he’s also contributing to NASPAA’s Annual Data Report, a benchmarking tool that supports data-informed growth across member institutions.

“These experiences have not only strengthened my skills in data analysis and visualization,” he said, “but also given me a deeper understanding of how data informs national conversations on public service education.”

His contributions are already making an impact and have not gone unnoticed. By translating data into actionable insights, Parpiev is playing a key role in supporting NASPAA’s mission and helping strengthen public service education across its member institutions.

“Asrorbek is essential to our team,” said Martha Bohrt, executive director of NASPAA. “As the higher education and data intern, he analyzes NASPAA data to help communicate key trends to our member schools and stakeholders. His work supports NASPAA’s mission and helps advance equity in the public sector.”

At O’Neill, Parpiev has built the analytical foundation and technical skills needed to approach global challenges with clarity and precision.

“I’ve improved my proficiency with statistical tools like R and Stata, which has been very useful for real-world data projects,” he said. “This coursework has helped me build a strong foundation for solving policy challenges and moving toward my goal of a career in policy analysis and development.”

He hopes to eventually work with international organizations like the United Nations or the World Bank, applying his O’Neill education to create measurable, lasting change on a global scale.

“I chose O’Neill because it gave me the tools to shift from diplomacy to data,” he said. “Now I’m gaining the experience to turn that knowledge into meaningful solutions.”

As he continues to grow as a policy professional, Parpiev is showing what O’Neill students can accomplish when they pair rigorous training with hands-on experience. His time at NASPAA is more than an internship; it’s a launchpad toward a career dedicated to data-driven, public service leadership on a global scale.

O’Neill School faculty promotions recognize excellence in research, teaching, and service

Posted on by Ken Bikoff

O’Neill faculty, including (clockwise from top left) Devil Duncan, Craig L. Johnson, Coady Wing, Jon Eldon, Marta Venier, and Christian Buerger were promoted in July.

The Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs recently announced the promotion of six faculty members whose achievements in research, teaching, and service exemplify the school’s commitment to addressing the world’s most pressing public and environmental challenges.

The following promotions have been approved:

“These promotions represent an important milestone in the careers of some of our most dedicated and accomplished faculty members,” said Siân Mooney, dean of the O’Neill School. “Their research, teaching, and engagement advance our mission to improve lives. Each of them has made a lasting impact on our students, our school, and society as a whole.”

Duncan is an economist whose primary research focuses on the causes and consequences of tax evasion. His research has explored the impact of tax evasion opportunities on income inequality, labor supply, risk taking behavior, and tax incidence.

Johnson is an expert in capital markets and financial intermediation, financial management, public budgeting and finance, financing e-government, financing economic development, and environmental and infrastructure finance.

Wing specializes in the economic analysis of public policies and regulations, with a particular interest in effects on health behaviors, health outcomes, and the delivery of health care services. He also conducts research on methodological topics related to causal inference and program evaluation.

Buerger’s research focuses on topics in program evaluation, public management, and public finance. He is based on O’Neill’s Indianapolis location.

Venier is internationally recognized for her research on persistent organic pollutants and emerging contaminants in the environment, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides, and perfluorinated compounds (PFAS).

Eldon worked in ecology and conservation biology before moving into more applied questions related to ecosystem management, with a focus on agricultural systems and farmer adaptation. He has conducted research in intensive production systems in the United States, as well as low-input smallholder systems in the South Pacific and West Africa.

The promotions of the faculty members became effective July 1.

An Adventure Worth Taking: Kaitlyn Perrault on the NextGen Summer Policy Academy (Part II)

Posted on by ebatman

Hi! My name is Kaitlyn Perrault, and I’m a law and public policy major from Leominster, Massachusetts. I’m a rising junior in the O’Neill School, and I’m excited to share a bit more about the amazing experience I’ve had over the past few weeks with the NextGen Summer Policy Academy.

BERKELEY, Calif. — On June 22nd, I said a final goodbye to my new friends who were headed off to the University of Washington and the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota. Although the goodbye was bittersweet, I’m incredibly thankful for the late-night trivia games, museum trips, and ice cream outings we shared.

Along with 25 other students, I boarded a bus to the airport, where we would soon catch our next flight, also fully funded by the NextGen and Summer Policy Academy. Before we knew it, we had arrived at the Goldman School of Public Policy, surrounded by palm trees and enjoying the much cooler weather compared to the humid and scorching heat of D.C. That evening, a group of students and I explored the campus, followed by an early morning coffee run before our first Law and Public Policy class.

Our first class, led by Nancy A. Beninati, Supervising Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice and a key figure in developing laws implementing California’s Racial and Identity Profiling Act, was a great success. We spent time reviewing the course structure, learning how to think like lawyers, practice critical thinking skills, and read legal texts using statutory interpretation. Together, we discussed the U.S. Constitution and the upcoming moot court each student would participate in.

The Goldman School prides itself on generating and sharing knowledge that creates a transformational academic and cultural experience. I can say with confidence that it lived up to that mission during our two weeks on the Berkeley campus. When we spoke with the Goldman School Dean, Dean David C. Wilson, he told us that the value of a summer policy academy lies in the idea that democracy means something different to everyone, and that these three weeks would help us learn how to apply the toolkit we’re each building to every area of our lives. Public policy shapes how democracy is perceived and practiced, and it is the foundation of student democracy on every campus.

Each student entered this program at a different point in their academic journey. But each of us left with sharpened professional skills, a stronger ability to remain present, greater clarity about our next steps, and a deeper understanding of the meaning behind our actions.

While in California, we spent a day at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Oakland, toured the State Capitol in Sacramento, enjoyed dinner at a Michelin-Star restaurant, visited San Francisco, and met with several public servants who generously shared their experiences and insights. Toward the end of our stay, we were welcomed into Berkeley Law School for a tour and a private admissions session with Alice Young.

We were encouraged to challenge ourselves, to avoid comfort zones, and to surround ourselves with people who are different from us and who hold different beliefs. If I could offer one piece of advice to any student, it would be just that. I hope future students continue to apply and take part in this program because if I could do it ten times over again, I would in a heartbeat.

An Adventure Worth Taking: Kaitlyn Perrault on the NextGen Summer Policy Academy (Part I)

Posted on by ebatman

Hi! My name is Kaitlyn Perrault, and I’m a law and public policy major from Leominster, Massachusetts. I’m a rising junior in the O’Neill School, and I’m excited to share about the amazing experience I’ve had over the past few weeks with the NextGen Summer Policy Academy.

WASHINGTON — I remember being in D.C. as a freshman with the Civic Leaders Center when I first heard about the NextGen Leadership Program offered through the O’Neill School. At the time, I didn’t know much about it, just that I’d attend a few workshops and speaker events here and there. Little did I know that when I first sat in those speaker sessions, the NextGen program would offer me something much greater than a few IU graduates to connect with.

The NextGen Service Corps, sponsored by the Volcker Alliance, provides students with valuable opportunities to hear from accomplished public service professionals from around the world. A few months ago, I learned about the NextGen Summer Policy Academy, which brings together students from across the globe who are passionate about different policy areas and committed to making a positive impact.

Each student begins the program with a week in D.C., followed by two weeks at a second host school. While in D.C., students have the chance to build connections with one another, explore the city, hear from deans of public policy schools across the U.S., meet with members of Congress, and engage in meaningful dialogue on pressing policy issues. Thanks to the Volcker Alliance, the entire experience is fully funded, with stipends provided by each host school and the Alliance to ensure that all students can participate regardless of financial circumstances.

This past week in D.C. has been truly formative for my leadership development and professional growth. Over the course of the week, our cohort of about 75 students gathered at the True Reformer Building for daily workshops and conversations about what a life in public service can look like. One key takeaway I’m bringing home is that no two careers in public service look the same. The path is often long and winding, but if you’re passionate about making a positive difference in the world and in the lives of others, that journey becomes an adventure worth taking.

Read Part II

Tran appointed to Vietnam’s National Advisory Council on Science, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Transformation

Posted on by Ken Bikoff

Anh Tran

Anh Tran, a professor at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, has been appointed to Vietnam’s prestigious National Advisory Council on Science, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Transformation.

The elite advisory body is tasked with providing high-level policy recommendations to the country’s National Steering Committee on Science and Technology, whose membership includes the prime minister, the general secretary, and key cabinet ministers.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be invited to serve on Vietnam’s National Advisory Council,” Tran said. “This role provides a meaningful platform to contribute to Vietnam’s science and technology development while also strengthening the visibility of the O’Neill School and Indiana University in Southeast Asia. I’m excited about the opportunities this will create for international collaboration, academic exchange, and student recruitment, as well as the valuable—and often rare—data it will provide for my ongoing research on Vietnam.”

Tran is one of only two scholars from the United States selected to join the council. The body comprises prominent professors and business leaders from France, Singapore, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, and the United States, each recognized globally for their expertise and leadership in science and innovation.

“Anh’s selection to this important council is a well-deserved recognition of his impact in the field,” said Siân Mooney, dean of the O’Neill School. “His involvement will expand the O’Neill School’s global reach and further our mission of shaping public policy and leadership around the world.”

The council plays a vital role in shaping Vietnam’s strategic direction in science, technology, and digital transformation—sectors that are increasingly central to the country’s economic development and global engagement.

Research shows combo of policy and lifestyle changes underestimated as climate change solution

Posted on by Ken Bikoff

Shahzeen Attari

How to best address climate change is a matter of great debate—from individual behavior and policy changes to innovative technologies and philanthropy. While reaching a consensus on the best approach has been a challenge, a new journal article featuring a researcher from the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, published in Nature’s Communications Earth & Environment, suggests the public may already share more common ground than expected.

The article, “Americans and policymakers underestimate endorsement for the most popular climate solution narrative, combining personal and political action,” was led by Gregg Sparkman from Boston College, Shahzeen Attari from the O’Neill School, and colleagues at Princeton University. Researchers surveyed a representative sample of Americans as well as local-level policymakers to test which solutions were most widely endorsed by both groups and which approaches they believed were most popular among the public.

“We find that Americans largely support narratives that call for climate action on multiple fronts,” Attari said. “Among 20 different climate solution narratives, the most popular narrative called for both policy changes and lifestyle changes to address the problem. This narrative was also the most popular with local policymakers.”

The study found that support for combining lifestyle and policy changes was associated with a greater willingness to take both personal and political climate action. More than 85% of the public endorsed this approach—yet, when asked to estimate its popularity, most believed only about half of Americans supported it.

“Americans across the political aisle agree we need to combine policy and lifestyle changes to solve climate change,” Sparkman said. “But policymakers and the public are unaware that this and other proactive approaches are popular. Further, policymakers lag behind the public in endorsing proactive solutions. We also find media exposure to these narratives shapes motivation to take lifestyle and political action, underscoring the importance of this discourse in addressing climate change.”

Although combining policy and lifestyle changes is the most widely supported approach, it is rarely reflected in news media coverage. Policymakers not only endorse these solutions less often than the general public, but they also significantly underestimate how much support there is for systemic changes.

“We are all creatures of story—these broad narratives play an important role in manifesting climate action,” Attari said. “We need a vision to make progress. Just like it is very hard to ride a bicycle blindfolded, we need climate solution narratives to help us move forward. Given both the public and policymakers underestimate how popular climate action narratives of policy and lifestyle change are, there is a major opportunity here to correct our perceptions and to realize that there is a widely shared appetite for these changes.”

Leading across sectors: Ron Walker’s career built on O’Neill principles

Posted on by Caroline Rourke

Ron Walker, MPA'96 headshot
Ron Walker, MPA’96

For Ron Walker, the O’Neill School offered not just a transformative education—it turned a proud alma mater into a family tradition of leadership and public service.  

A 1996 graduate of the Master of Public Affairs program, Walker has built a successful career that spans the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.  

Almost 30 years later, his daughter Lucia carried that legacy forward, graduating from O’Neill in 2025 with a degree in arts management and receiving the prestigious Kate Hevner Mueller Senior Award for her leadership and contributions to the IU community. 

 “I look at my time at O’Neill, those two years, as two of the best years of my life and one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” 

Walker first learned about O’Neill from a former advisor who was also an alum. He entered the program interested in environmental policy but soon discovered a different passion, public finance, which opened his eyes to the program’s cross-sector versatility. 

“I began to really like the public financial side of O’Neill because I thought I could take those principles and apply them across a number of different sectors or programs in government.” 

That insight shaped the rest of his professional path. After graduation, Walker started his career in state government with the Indiana Department of Education. He later transitioned to local government, taking on leadership roles in Monroe County and the City of Bloomington. 

“Our career paths never go the way we think they may go. I left O’Neill hoping to enter the field of city management, and I took a job in economic development, and I loved it because you touch all aspects of the community, you meet a lot of people, you learn a great deal.” 

During his time in local government, he played a key role in economic development initiatives that helped shape Bloomington’s downtown landscape and public-private partnerships. 

Walker eventually moved into nonprofit work focused on urban revitalization and later joined the private sector. Today, he serves as president of CFC Properties, a Cook Group company that invests in historic preservation and community development in Bloomington. 

“Throughout my career, my degree from O’Neill—and more importantly, what I learned at O’Neill—helped me be successful in government, the nonprofit sector, and now in the private sector.” 

He credits O’Neill with teaching him not only technical skills, but how to approach complex problems with strategy and clarity. 

“O’Neill educated me on how to take large programs, break them down into (their contributing) factors and outcomes, and then work on how to implement those strategies.” 

That approach has stayed with him and continues to shape how he leads today. It’s also why he encourages prospective students to consider O’Neill if they’re looking for both practical skills and a broader understanding of the world around them. 

“O’Neill welcomes you in and teaches you hard skills, but you also learn a great deal about our world, on the macro level and the micro level.” 

That deep respect for the O’Neill experience made it especially meaningful when his daughter chose to follow the same path. 

“It’s very moving to me to see Lucia graduate from the O’Neill School because I know O’Neill has had such a profound impact on me. It meant a lot to me that she chose to go here.”

Ron and Lucia Walker at graduation.
Ron and Lucia Walker celebrate her graduation from the O’Neill School

Lucia also embraced the O’Neill experience through studying abroad in Rome, interning with arts organizations, and serving as student coordinator for the arts administration practicum. Through each of these roles, she carried forward a commitment to public service while creating a path uniquely her own. 

As a public servant, nonprofit leader, private-sector executive, and proud O’Neill parent, Ron Walker represents the full spectrum of what an O’Neill education can prepare students to achieve and the kind of legacy it can create.

O’Neill School researchers ready for PMRC 2025

Posted on by Ken Bikoff

The Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs is proud to announce its participation in the esteemed Public Management Research Conference, which will take place from June 25-28 at Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea.

The O’Neill School on our Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses will be represented by its renowned faculty members and promising Ph.D. students. During the conference, 17 significant papers will be presented, showcasing the depth and breadth of research conducted at the O’Neill School.

“We are thrilled to have such a strong presence at this year’s Public Management Research Conference,” said Siân Mooney, dean of the O’Neill School. “Our faculty and students have worked tirelessly and are excited to share their findings with the global academic community. The conference provides an excellent platform for exchanging ideas and fostering collaboration.”

Among the O’Neill School representatives attending are Associate Professor Amanda Rutherford, who was recently elected to the PMRC Board of Directors.

“I’m honored to serve on the Board of Directors, and I’m proud to call PMRA my academic home,” Rutherford said. “The association boasts a community of exceptional scholars who are intellectually curious and committed to bettering theory and practice.”

For more information about PMRC and the full schedule of presentations, please visit the conference website.

ASHEcon showcasing health economics expertise

Posted on by Ken Bikoff

From left: Parker Rogers, Kelly Kaili Yang, Jeff Prince, Jia Xiang, Alberto Ortega, Haizhen Lin, Coady Wing, Kosali Simon, Seth Freedman

Researchers from the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs are set to participate in the 14th annual Conference of the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon) in Nashville, Tennessee, June 22-25.

ASHEcon is a scientific society dedicated to promoting excellence in health economics research in the United States. It provides a forum for emerging ideas and empirical results to enhance individual and societal health by providing evidence and expertise for the development of policies and practices. The O’Neill School, along with colleagues from the Kelley School of Business and across Indiana University, will showcase its faculty’s diverse expertise during the conference.

“The American Society of Health Economists Conference is a remarkable platform for sharing cutting-edge research and fostering meaningful dialogue on critical health issues,” said Siân Mooney, dean of the O’Neill School. “I am incredibly proud of our faculty for contributing their knowledge and helping to shape the future of health economics and policy.”

Distinguished Professor Kosali Simon is a former president of ASHEcon, and she will be joined by Associate Professor Seth Freedman, Assistant Professor Alberto Ortega, and Associate Professor Coady Wing at the event. The group’s work analyzes how public programs, private insurance, and government action shape access, equity, and health outcomes.

“Over the past three years, I’ve been encouraged by the energy and innovation within the field of health economics,” Simon said. “It has been rewarding to see a strong pipeline of emerging scholars and to witness how welcoming and supportive the community remains. The quality of new research being presented each June is remarkable—and increasingly hard to keep up with, which is exactly as it should be.

“ASHEcon has always served as an important venue for sharing ideas and supporting one another in using research to inform health policy and decision-making.”

ASHEcon will be held at the Grand Hyatt and will feature more than 200 scientific sessions containing 624 papers and 130 posters.

How Erin Mullin balanced career and growth to make real-world impact through IU’s Online MSHM Program

Posted on by Caroline Rourke

Healthcare is constantly evolving. To lead it well, professionals need more than passion—they need the right skills and support. That’s exactly what Indiana University’s Master of Science in Healthcare Management (MSHM) delivers. 

Through a unique collaboration between two top-ranked schools: the Kelley School of Business and the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the program equips students with business knowledge, public service leadership, and real-world application—offered in-person and also in a flexible online format. 

For Online MSHM student Erin Mullin, who works in human resources at a rural critical access hospital, it was the direct connection between the coursework and her day-to-day responsibilities that made the program stand out. 

“I was looking for courses and a curriculum that really tied into what I was doing,” Mullin said. “As I looked through what the program offered, I saw classes I could apply in real time.” 

A curriculum designed for real impact 

The MSHM curriculum is built to address the challenges of today’s healthcare systems, blending leadership, finance, operations, and policy. Courses are designed to help students build the tools they need to guide teams, make data-driven decisions, and improve patient-centered care. 

“If you have that heart for healthcare, this is the place to build leadership skills and learn how to lead the people who are serving our patients directly,” Mullin said. 

Mullin found that the content often connected directly to what her organization was facing. 

“We did a project on mobilizing a vaccination clinic, which completely tied to what I do right now. I was able to take the feedback and findings back to my hospital team and use them to help make decisions on big projects. It was really helpful.”  

Flexibility that doesn’t feel distant 

One of the program’s greatest strengths is its online delivery—ideal for working professionals who need flexibility but still want connection. Students collaborate with peers and faculty in a format designed to feel personal, even from a distance. 

“My biggest fear was feeling disconnected, but I haven’t felt that at all,” Mullin said. “You meet your cohort right away, and the professors are incredibly supportive. They really want you to succeed, and they’re flexible if life things come up.” 

Professors offer consistent office hours, and many courses blend live sessions with recorded content, letting students manage their learning around busy schedules.  

“It’s built for people who have a lot going on. I found myself really liking the content, so it didn’t just feel like school. I felt like I was doing something that mattered for me and for my organization.” 

A community that invests in you 

Beyond the coursework, the MSHM program supports students through personal mentorship, career coaching, and a capstone experience that’s deeply tied to real-world healthcare challenges. For Mullin, this meant getting guidance not only from professors, but also from a preceptor who became a long-term mentor. 

“We spent so much time together during the capstone, and I really learned a lot and was able to bounce ideas off her—even outside the project. She’s someone I know I’ll keep reaching out to beyond the program, and that relationship has been incredibly valuable.” 

Built for where you are in life—and where you want to go 

Whether you’re already in healthcare or looking to move into a leadership role within the field, the MSHM program is designed to meet you where you are. The online format allows you to study from anywhere, at your own pace, with structured support every step of the way. 

“If you’re considering the program and you’re waiting for the right time, or you think you’re not ready or don’t have time, don’t let that stop you. Life is always happening, so pick a date, jump in, and get started. You won’t regret it, and you’ll love every minute of it.” 

Learn more about the Online MSHM program and how it can fit into your career journey here. 

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