News

Announcing the Class of 2019 Wilder Fellows!

Left to Right: Lark Washington, Gabriella Pino-Moreno, Ashley Ferguson, Matthew Whibley, Rebekah Cazares, Shajuana Isom-Payne, Jake Kline, Eric Mai, Taylor Jenkins, Amelie Rives, Dan Motta, Woody Rogers. (Not photographed: Aleigh Faulk and Hillary Smalls)

October 14, 2019

By Briana Williams

The Wilder School is pleased to announce a talented and robost of class of 13 fellows to 2019 cohort of it's Wilder Graduate Scholars’ Fellowship Program.

Launched in 2006, the program has grown tremendously and continues to serve as a valuable connection between state agencies, nonprofit organizations and the school's exceptional master’s students. This year’s fellows all stem from the school’s public administration and urban and regional planning programs.

“Twelves years ago, Interim Dean Gooden pioneered this program and since its launch, there have been over 100 fellowships awarded providing funding for graduate education exceeding the amount of $2.5million,” said Shajuana Isom-Payne, the Wilder School’s director of the Office of Student Success, which administers the program.

Members of the 2019 cohort will receive one year of tuition assistance and a generous stipend during the academic year in exchange for 20 hours of professional service at their host nonprofit or government agency. Fellows will be given the opportunity to learn and apply their skills in assisting with special projects and providing program support to organizations that advance the public good.

“And, for our illustrious Fellows, there have been over 100 graduate degrees supported and granted. Our Fellows consistently boast the tremendous advantages that their fellowship experiences have afforded them,” said Isom-Payne.

The Wilder Graduate Scholars’ Fellows are supported by the substantial contributions of this year’s host agencies that include the Virginia Department of Corrections, the Virginia Department of Social Services, Virginia State Board of Elections, PlanRVA, VCU RVA Eviction Lab, the City of Richmond Office of Community Wealth Building and Evaluation and Research Laboratory at the Wilder School’s Center for Public Policy.

“The Wilder Graduate Scholar Fellowship program is nationally recognized and is a cornerstone of the Wilder School graduate student experience. This flagship program showcases the exemplary student services programming and extraordinary student body of our 39th nationally ranked School of Public Affairs. Nearly 40 different agencies have sponsored fellowships for 100 individual Wilder Fellows.”

The 2019 Class of Wilder Graduate Scholar Fellows and their host organizations include:

Rebekah Cazares of Richmond, Va., a first-year master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning, has been appointed to the Virginia Department of Corrections-Strategic Planning Unit. Cazares holds a B.A. in Sociology from Radford University and outside of work and school, enjoys rock climbing.
Aleigh Faulk of New Kent, Va., a second-year master’s student in Public Administration, has been appointed to the Center for Public Policy/Performance Management Group. Faulk holds a B.A. in Psychology from Christopher Newport University and desires to make a positive impact on people who are underrepresented.
Ashley Ferguson of Goochland, Va., a second-year master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning, has been appointed to the City of Richmond: Office of Community Wealth Building. Ferguson holds a B.S. in in Urban and Regional Studies from the VCU Wilder School and is a member of the Urban and Regional Planning Student Organization.
Taylor Jenkins of Richmond, Va., a second-year master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning, has been appointed to the VCU Wilder School Survey & Evaluation Research Lab. Jenkins holds a B.A. in African American Studies and Women’s Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University and enjoys yoga.
James “Jake” Kline of Richmond, Va., a second-year master’s student in Public Administration, has been appointed to the Virginia Department of Corrections-SAF Unit. Kline holds a S. in Communications (Public Relations) with a double minor in Leadership Studies and Political Science from Appalachian State University and serves as the Co-President of the Public Administration Student Association (PASA).
Eric Mai of Newport News, Va., a second-year master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning, has been appointed to the VCU Wilder School Survey & Evaluation Research Lab. Mai holds a B.A. in Art History from Christopher Newport University and has a passion for social justice.
Daniel Motta of Orlando, Fl., a first-year master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning, has been appointed to PlanRVA. Motta holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of Central Florida and enjoys hiking.
Gabriella Pino-Moreno of Richmond, Va., a second-year master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning, has been appointed to the Virginia Department of Corrections- Policy and Initiatives Unit. Pino-Moreno holds a B.A. in Urban Planning from the VCU Wilder School with a minor in Economics and likes volunteering in the community.
Amelie Rives of Keswick, Va., a first-year master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning, has been appointed to the VCU RVA Eviction Lab. Rives holds a A. Sociology with a minor in Spanish from Roanoke College and is an avid beginner cyclist.
Linwood “Woody” Rogers of Richmond, Va., a second-year master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning, has been appointed to the Virginia Department of Social Services- Division of Child Support Enforcement. Rogers hold a B.A. in Urban Studies and History from the University of Pittsburgh and loves playing soccer.
Hillary Small of Richmond, Va., a first-year master’s student in Public Administration, has been appointed to the Virginia State Board of Elections. Small holds a B.A. in Government & International Politics from George Mason University and enjoys traveling and exploring the outdoors,
Lark Washington of Suffolk, Va., a second-year master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning, has been appointed to PlanRVA. Washington holds a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the in University of Virginia and is a member of Richmond Urban Dance.
Matthew Whibley of Arlington, Va., a first-year master’s student in Public Administration, has been appointed to the Virginia Department of Corrections-Operations. Whibley holds a B.A. in Sociology from Virginia Commonwealth University and enjoys spending time with his two dogs Walter and Luanne, and cat Macaroni.

Applications for the 2020-2021 academic year are due May 1, 2020. Questions? Please email wilderfellows@vcu.edu or call the Office of Student Success 804-827-2791.