Tess Mullen
By Tess Mullen, Associate Consultant and MPA ‘13
At the end of December, as the debate over the fiscal cliff raged in Washington D.C., Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz waded into the fray. In an act of what could be called civil encouragement, as opposed to the more commonly known practice of civil disobedience, Schultz directed Starbucks baristas to write the words “Come Together...
By Associate Consultant Tess Mullen, MPA ‘13
This week, Fels Research & Consulting is releasing its latest Promising Practices report: “What It Takes to Lead State Agencies: Promising Practices for State Cabinet Secretaries.” Based on in-depth interviews with more than 24 current and former cabinet secretaries nationwide, this new report explores seven core competencies that can help...
(Photo courtesy of the National Association of State Chief Administrators)
By Tess Mullen, MPA ‘13
The reviews are in and leaders from around the country have declared that the 2012 National Association of State Chief Administrators’ Annual Institute was a great success. For the third year in a row, Fels Research & Consulting (Fels R&C) developed the curriculum for this institute, drawing...
By Tess Mullen, Associate Consultant
When I worked in Congress prior to coming to Fels, I quickly learned that debates over taxes dominate the House and Senate floor on a near weekly basis. As such, I came to graduate school with a desire to dig into the details of how different tax policies actually play out in practice. As luck would have it, I was given an incredible...
By Tess Mullen, Associate Consultant (MPA '13)
This summer, I have devoted the majority of my time to writing a promising practices report examining core competencies that can help state-level cabinet secretaries succeed in their positions. Through interviewing current and former cabinet secretaries and governors’ chiefs of staff, I have gained insights into both the challenges that cabinet...
By Tess Mullen, Associate Consultant (MPA '13)
Fels Research & Consulting has a multi-faceted purpose: it aims to complete high-quality, high-impact projects for its clients, and it seeks to provide Fels students who work as associate consultants with a quality, educational experience. If you spend two minutes looking at the list of Fels R&C’s current projects, you will clearly see that...
By Tess Mullen, Associate Consultant (MPA '13)
On Monday night, I had the pleasure of hearing famed biographer Robert Caro speak at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Caro’s biographies have been a hallmark and a highlight of my Fels education. My first assignment as a Fels student last summer was to read Caro’s 1000+ page biography of Robert Moses, an urban planner who literally shaped the...
Fels Research and Consulting, Lyndon Johnson, Robert Caro, Tess Mullen, Research and Consulting Blog
By Tess Mullen, Associate Consultant (MPA '13)
I have always been intrigued by how the private and public sectors can join together to enhance the public good. In my pre-Fels life a press secretary on Capitol Hill, I wrote numerous press releases exploring how the government could work with local businesses and nonprofits to tackle key challenges. Therefore, I was fascinated when I recently...
By Christina Tierno (MPA '12) and Tess Mullen (MPA '13), Associate Consultants
The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia sponsored a city-wide conference, Preserving Philadelphia Neighborhoods, on October 21, 2011 at Temple University.
Fels faculty member and Senior Consultant John Kromer kicked off the event by delivering the conference’s keynote address. Drawing upon his extensive...
By Tess Mullen, Associate Consultant (MPA '13)
As part of their efforts to develop a revitalization plan for the Old York Road Corridor, Fels Research & Consulting and the Old York Road Revitalization Group recently hosted two community engagement forums with local residents. Over the course of these two sessions, Harris Sokoloff, the Executive Director of the Penn Project for Civic...
Fels Research and Consulting, Harris Sokoloff, Old York Road, Tess Mullen, Research and Consulting Blog
