Rylyn Williams
Political Science PhD student Rylyn Williams has been selected to comprise Founders' Fellows Class of 2026, a prestigious award that supports the next generation of public service leaders through a series of professional development opportunities. The American Society if Public Administrations (ASPA) Fellows attend and present at the Annual Conference on a subject matter paper on an issue related to their scholarship or work, which is also published in PA TIMES Online if they wish.
Williams studies nonprofit administration and data analytics and is among fewer than three dozen scholars worldwide selected for the Founders’ Fellows Class of 2026. ASPA’s Founders’ Fellows program supports emerging public service leaders through professional development opportunities, including attending and presenting at the organization’s annual conference.
Open to graduate students as well as new professionals in the first three years of their public service career, this program is geared toward accelerating careers of promising, rising stars in the discipline. This is ASPA's flagship initiative for the next generation of public service leaders and professionals in the field. UMass Amherst is among the institutions underwriting the program through multiyear funding commitments to support its long-term sustainability.