6 Incoming Harris Leaders Who Embody the Future of Public Policy

Each year, the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy welcomes a new class of students whose ambitions reflect both the complexity of today’s policy challenges and the seriousness required to address them. Drawn from dozens of countries, professional backgrounds, and disciplines, Harris students arrive ready to pair lived experience with rigorous analysis—and to translate ideas into action. As reflected in Harris by the Numbers, this diversity of perspective is matched by a shared commitment to evidence-based policymaking, public service, and real-world impact. The following student profiles offer a glimpse into a cohort that is already shaping conversations about what effective, inclusive, and durable policy can look like.

Here are just six of the new Harris students who came to Harris in 2025:

Empowering Educational Opportunity: Maya Cousins, MPP Class of 2027

Maya Cousins enters Harris with a deep commitment to expanding educational access and improving outcomes for students. Inspired by her work with City Year and College Track, where she helped students stay on track to graduate and led hands-on after-school programming, she sees her Harris education as a way to combine her passion for education with data-driven policy skills.

“Education is not only empowering—it's something you can never take away from someone once they have it.”

Read Maya’s profile.

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Building Policy for Growing Aging Populations: Travis Feltz, MPP Class of 2027

Travis Feltz is interested in policies relating to aging. His early service working with retirement communities and a semester in Washington, D.C., solidified his commitment to human-centered design in public programs. At Harris, he will hone the analytical skills needed to shape effective aging policy that supports dignity and well-being throughout a person’s lifespan.

“I want to help ensure we have social safety nets in place to support people as they age.”

Read Travis’s profile.

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Inclusive, Servant-Oriented Public Service: Nathan Held, MPP Class of 2027

With a background shaped by service, Nathan Held sees policy as the next frontier of his lifelong commitment to community impact. At Harris, he plans to nurture an inclusive and sustainable model of national service rooted in servant leadership, allowing him to continue contributing meaningfully beyond the traditional, top-down roles many have come to expect.

"Engaging in policy will allow me to continue serving outside the uniform."

Read Nathan’s profile.

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Strengthening Local Finance and Governance: Finnegan Keilty, MPP Class of 2027

Finnegan Keilty aims to apply his MPP training to local-level finance and policy challenges. With an eye toward how municipalities make decisions that affect residents’ lives, he’s focused on equipping himself with analytical tools to support fiscal health and effective governance at the city and regional scale, made all the more possible thanks to Harris’ commitment to municipal finance training.

“Finding ways to influence our built environment and support communities so that they can continue to connect is my motivation—why I care so much about how institutions and organizations make budget decisions.”

Read Finnegan’s profile.

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Making Humanitarian Systems More Resilient: Anita Kirschenbaum, MPP/MBA Class of 2028

Combining an MPP with an MBA from the Booth School of Business, Anita Kirschenbaum is poised to tackle issues in water and food security through an interdisciplinary lens. She aims to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of humanitarian organizations, especially at the local level, by bringing rigorous policy analysis together with strategic management training.

“I’m looking at how global conflicts, crises, and other situations impact human security and then have a direct impact on water and food security. That intersection is something I want to explore—and where I want to make an impact.”

Read Anita’s profile.

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Turning Policy Ideas into Action Amid Conflict: Melaku Lakew, MPP Class of 2027

Melaku Lakew brings a global perspective to Harris, driven by a desire to address conflict and its consequences in Ethiopia. Drawn to Harris for its data-guided approach to policy design and evaluation, he sees the program as the best path to transforming ideas into action — equipping him with analytic tools and practical frameworks to contribute to peace and stability.

“Using data-driven insights to produce measurable results is not only crucial for effective policymaking but also provides a way to understand issues and people, and fill in the gaps to make a safer, more equitable world.”

Read Melaku’s profile.

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This list is part of a series showcasing how Harris shaped policy thinking in 2025 — not only through faculty research and public dialogue, but through a new generation of policy leaders just beginning their journey.