Foundation for Public Affairs Announces 2025 Fellows Cohort

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 1, 2025

Contact:
Helen Taylor
Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications
Public Affairs Council
[email protected]

Emerging Public Affairs Leaders Chosen for 2025 Fellowship

Washington, D.C. – The Foundation for Public Affairs (Foundation) is proud to announce the 2025 Fellows cohort. Now in its third year, the Fellowship was established in 2023 to support the retention and advancement of rising leaders in the public affairs field.

Funded by the Foundation, the 2025 cohort includes 12 Fellows representing a wide range of backgrounds, identities and professional experiences. Each Fellow brings a unique perspective to the profession. Over the course of the year-long program, participants will receive targeted skills training, access to mentorship and opportunities to expand their professional networks.

Fellows were selected by a standing committee of Council board members dedicated to promoting equity and progress within the public affairs profession.

Meet the 2025 Fellows:

Meet the Fellows

Hamza Akhtar
Senior Account Executive
ROKK Solutions

Cynthia Chen
Manager of Public Policy and Advocacy
Creative West (formerly WESTAF)

Inderia Falana
Government Relations Representative
City of Minneapolis

Tenesha Hare
Program Manager, Policy and Legislative Affairs
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Sam Harris
Government & Public Affairs Manager
United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI)

Ethan Lott
Director of Advocacy
Construction Management Association of America

Ben Melano
Deputy Director, Federal Affairs
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Linda Pham
Manager, Government Affairs and Public Policy
S&P Global

Roberto Rosas
Director of Global Advocacy
The Institute of Internal Auditors

Lein Soltan
Advocacy Manager
UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) USA

Joshua Thomas
Sr. Manager, Federal Government Relations
The Home Depot

Christina Valentine
Government Relations Analyst
Plains All American Pipeline

“We’re thrilled to welcome this year’s incoming class of Fellows,” said Nneka Chiazor, president of the Public Affairs Council. “They are an outstanding group of emerging leaders, and we’re looking forward to seeing how they strengthen and shape the future of the profession.”

Maureen Kline, vice president, public affairs and sustainability at Pirelli Tire North America, and member of the Council’s executive committee, noted, “the public affairs profession will benefit from bringing a diversity of ideas and perspectives to leadership roles, and the fellows program offers a pathway to do just that.”

Learn more about the Foundation for Public Affairs and the Fellowship

About the Foundation for Public Affairs:

The Foundation for Public Affairs is a 501(c)(3) organization that invests in the future of the profession through workforce development initiatives to strengthen the field of public affairs. Learn more.

About the Public Affairs Council:

Both nonpartisan and nonpolitical, the Public Affairs Council is the leading global association for public affairs professionals. The Council’s mission is to advance the field of public affairs and to provide its 750 member companies, nonprofits and universities with the executive education and expertise they need while maintaining the highest ethical standards. Learn more at pac.org.

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