O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University

06/02/2026

Congratulations to Taylor Stout, MES’26, on her new role as Community Engagement Director at CanopyBloomington!

As an O’Neill School alum and McKinney Climate Fellow with the IU Environmental Resilience Institute, she has dedicated her work to advancing climate resilience, environmental equity, and community engagement. From studying environmental sustainability at O’Neill to helping communities connect with nature and one another, she is already making a meaningful impact in Bloomington.

Read more about her new role:

For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt most connected to people, nature, and the spaces where the two meet.Over the past two planting seasons, I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer with CanopyBloomington, spending weekend mornings planting trees alongside passionate volunteers, community membe...

06/01/2026

The O'Neill School is bringing a premier delegation of public management scholars to Washington, D.C., this week for .

Held at American University June 4–6, the annual Public Management Research Conference will feature cutting-edge insights from 11 O'Neill faculty members and 11 Ph.D. students. Their research addresses critical challenges in collaborative governance, public administration, and organizational performance to help shape responsive, effective public institutions.

See the full list of presenters: go.iu.edu/V9zRLr

06/01/2026

Your IU story starts at New Student Orientation. Tag along with Zoe for a glimpse of what's waiting for you at NSO.

05/27/2026

Congratulations to Kristina K***t, BAESS'26, and adjunct instructor Trent Engbers on being recognized at the 2026 IU Rural Conference for their impact across rural Indiana.

Kristina received the Student Community Engagement Award for her leadership with Creative Arts for Vets (CAV), a national arts-based wellness initiative supporting veterans and military-connected communities. Over more than two years, Kristina helped coordinate programming across Indiana and distributed more than 17,000 CAV Books to veterans and providers in all 50 states, 82 Indiana counties, 90 VA facilities, and 10 countries worldwide.

Professor Engbers received the Faculty Engaged Teaching Award for integrating community engagement into the classroom and developing partnerships that address challenges facing rural Indiana communities. Through applied projects focused on issues such as early childhood education shortages, nonprofit strategic planning, trail development, and volunteer fire service sustainability, Trent’s students have helped communities build long-term capacity and actionable solutions.

We’re proud to see O’Neill students and faculty advancing public service through meaningful community engagement.

📷: Jeni Waters

05/26/2026

Since 2017, the O’Neill School has hosted over 200 Brazilian federal officials for an executive leadership training program. The cohort this week includes 37 middle-level managers who represent important Brazilian ministries: Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Telecommunications; Ministry of Management and Innovation; Ministry of Racial Equality; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Social Development; and Brazil’s Federal Police.

Welcome to Bloomington! We can’t wait to see how you implement what you learn from O’Neill to lead for the greater good at home in Brazil.

**The leadership executive program with Brazil was created by Professor Claudia N. Avellaneda, thanks to an agreement between the O’Neill School and the Brazilian National School of Public Administration. The program is one of many examples of the international reach of the O’Neill School.

05/22/2026

Race weekend is here, and we’re cheering on 500 Festival Princess Shayla George, MPA’27! While working full-time at Indiana University, Shayla is pursuing her online MPA through the O’Neill School using IU’s employee tuition benefit—all while serving her community through leadership roles with the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women and United Way of South Central Indiana. Inspired by her own experiences in foster care, Shayla continues using her voice and leadership to advocate for children, families, and communities throughout Indiana.

Read more about Shayla’s story: https://go.iu.edu/z3Jeud

05/21/2026

✨🎓Standout Grad Spotlight🎓✨

Congratulations to Eliana Huizar, MPA’26! We’re so excited to celebrate Eliana and the experiences that have defined her time at O'Neill. Here’s what Eliana shared about her journey:

“While pursuing my MPA, I have balanced full-time work in healthcare as a histologist with a demanding academic program, demonstrating resilience and a strong commitment to public service. Originally from the Chicago South Suburbs, I bring a geology background to my policy studies, integrating scientific and governance perspectives on environmental challenges. I am also an Indiana Master Naturalist and volunteer at Indiana Dunes State Park, supporting conservation and environmental stewardship. In addition to my academic and professional work, I have pursued caving and wilderness competency, including cave rescue orientation, to strengthen my ability to support teams in challenging or remote environments. I am passionate about a future career in local government, where I hope to advance environmental initiatives.”

05/20/2026

✨🎓Standout Grad Spotlight🎓✨

Congratulations to Camille Vann, MPA’26! We’re so excited to celebrate Camille and the experiences that have defined her time at O'Neill. Here’s what Camille shared about her journey:

"As an O’Neill Fellow and Master of Public Affairs student at the O’Neill School, I have focused my work on nonprofit management and sustainability while maintaining a 3.6 GPA. During my Global Capstone project with Global Mamas in Ghana, I served as communications liaison and fundraising lead, coordinating across international teams and guiding both digital and in-person fundraising efforts. I led a campaign that raised over $10,000 in one month to support an environmentally sustainable wastewater management system. Following this success, I was invited to continue as a fundraising consultant with Global Mamas, where I support ongoing donor engagement and campaign development. This experience has not only strengthened my skills in nonprofit management and fundraising, but is also shaping the path I plan to pursue in the nonprofit and fundraising space moving forward."

05/20/2026

Faculty across our Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses are helping define the future of public management.

From Professor Claudia Avellaneda’s work on local governance in Latin America to Associate Professor Sanghee Park’s research on representation and organizational effectiveness, O’Neill faculty are shaping conversations on public management around the world.

Our latest research digest highlights work from 12 faculty members on topics including municipal fiscal health, police reform, and AI.

Read the full digest: go.iu.edu/Pb3YyV

05/18/2026

A week ago, we celebrated our largest undergraduate class in school history. We can’t wait to see how this group of graduates continues to lead for the greater good.