Did you know that IPAs staff members are just as varied and interesting as our many areas of expertise? On #MeetUsMondays, well feature a different member of our team each week in the hopes that you can get to know us better.
Lets meet Lisa Allred. We asked Lisa five questions, read on for her responses:
Who are you?
Im lucky to have several roles at IPA, but at the heart of each one is facilitating substantive and meaningful hands-on learning opportunities for our students.
What are you working on?
Im always recruiting stellar students for our research positions, which are paid opportunities for students to get the real-life experience they need to navigate their career paths and build their professional networks! And, boy, do we have a number of fellows programs... With 40 years of partnership between the University and the Delaware General Assembly, our Legislative Fellows Program is our most prestigious and well-known fellowship program. Several notable alums have served as Legislative Fellows, including our current governor! Weve applied the successful model to several other initiatives, including our Judicial Fellows Program, UD Local Government Management Fellows Program, Summer Undergraduate Public Policy Program, and our on- and off-campus Public Administration Fellows Program.
Where are you working?
Im tapping away on my laptop in my sunny kitchencommand centralso I can snatch up moments with my new co-workershusband Mike, daughters Finley, Erin, and Millie, stepsons Casey and Clayton, and our exuberant one-year-old golden retriever Murphy, who likes to make cameos during my Zoom meetings!
Why do you do this work?
Students are drawn to our degree programs because they want to make a difference through public service. My projects allow me to connect those outstanding students with assistantships and internships that help them figure out how they want to make a difference. The very best parts of my job are calling students to congratulate them on being selected for a fellowship and hearing from our alumni! And when those alums want to host our interns?! Priceless...
When Im not working, Im:
Taking Murphy for another walk, running, doing hot yoga, cheering on my kids, rooting for the Os and traveling with my hubby (pre-quarantine), baking blueberry muffins, knitting, sewing up some masks, or just grabbing coffee with my friends, which I hope to do again soon!