New Terker Distinguished Fellows to Bring Expertise in Media and Public Affairs

Derek Kilmer, former congressman and senior vice president of U.S. Program and Policy at the Rockefeller Foundation, and Jacqui Heinrich, a Senior White House Correspondent and co-host of The Sunday Briefing for FOX News Channel and President of the White House Correspondents' Association, are the 2026-2027 Terker Distinguished Fellows at the School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA).

The Terker Distinguished Fellows program brings accomplished leaders in media, political communication and public affairs to George Washington University each year. Established in 2010 by Bruce and Cindy Terker, parents of 2013 SMPA graduate Jennifer Terker, the program gives students the opportunity to learn directly from professionals.

During the academic year, Kilmer and Heinrich will spend time with SMPA students, share insights from their careers and discuss the changing landscape of media, politics and public affairs.

Kilmer's decision to dedicate his career to public service was inspired by his experience growing up in Port Angeles, Washington. The small timber town was hit hard when local mills closed. As he watched neighbors and close family friends lose their jobs, he became invested in the challenges facing communities like his.

As a student at PrincetonUniversity, Kilmer wrote his senior thesis on the challenges facing timber towns in Washington State. He became involved in causes aimed at addressing those challenges and later worked in economic development in his region.

"By the time I ran for office, it wasn't really a leap-though it was still pretty daunting," Kilmer said.

He served in the Washington House of Representatives from 2005 to 2007 and the Washington state Senate from 2007 to 2012.

His decision to pursue public office was shaped by the issues he cared about, but also by the professors and mentors who took the time to help him understand how he could turn those interests into a career.

"The fact that people were willing to spend an hour with a kid from Port Angeles, Washington, shaped the whole trajectory of my career," Kilmer said. "I don't think those folks knew they were doing anything that mattered. They were just being generous with their time. But it genuinely changed my life."

Now, as a Terker Distinguished Fellow, Kilmer sees an opportunity to offer that same kind of mentorship to SMPA students.

"Being a Terker Fellow gives me a chance to be that person for a new generation of students," Kilmer said. "So, hopefully I can help a few people figure out that the things they care about can actually become the work they do."

Kilmer's advice to students considering a career in public office is to begin by identifying the issues that matter most to them.

"When someone tells me they're thinking about running for office, I always have the same first question for them. I ask, 'What do you care about?'" Kilmer said. "The people I've seen who have had the biggest impact in public service have a strong sense of their 'why.'"

He's looking forward to connecting with students through brown-bag lunches and office hours. He also hopes to invite former colleagues from Congress and others he has worked with throughout his career to campus, giving students the opportunity to hear from people with a range of experiences in public service.

Kilmer encourages students to reach out with questions, even when they are still figuring out exactly what they want to ask.

"Honestly, if a good chunk of students can walk away from this year more hopeful about public service and more convinced that the things they care about can become the work they do, I'll consider it an awesome year," Kilmer said.

For Heinrich, who studied at the Elliott School of International during her undergraduate years, returning to GW as a Terker Fellow feels like a full-circle moment.

"I was drawn to GW because it felt less like a college bubble than a launchpad into the real world. Students weren't learning from a distance but immersed in the subject matter," Heinrich said.

As a Terker Fellow, Heinrich hopes to give GW students an honest look at the realities of working as a network reporter and share advice based on her own experiences in the industry.

"While a lot of the platforms, technologyand pace is changing in this evolving media landscape, and it's often hard to see where the industry is headed, I hope to remind students that the fundamentals are timeless," Heinrich said.

She credits her time at GW for leaving her with many valuable lessons that she's carried into her career, including incorporating a global perspective into her work.

"Being situated in the nation's capital, and in many respects, the center of global power-makes GW an especially rich learning environment, because you simultaneously witness how interconnected the world is while having direct access to the people and institutions that shape it," Heinrich said.

Before covering the White House, Heinrich began her career in local news, where she learned to report, produce and deliver stories under pressure as a one-person team. That experience was essential for preparing her for a national role, she said.

"Doing this on a small stage gave me space to learn from my mistakes," Heinrich said. "Nobody is perfect right out of the gate, and I often urge young journalists to remember that when they reach for big positions early in their careers. A mistake on a national platform can have serious consequences, and once you've damaged your credibility it is very hard to repair trust with the audience. I've had to navigate lots of tricky situations covering the White House beat, and I am so glad I learned the fundamentals in local news."

Her advice to students interested in journalism to begin building experience before graduation. During her college internships, she used any spare time to develop her own stories and left with a strong portfolio of work.

She said students can start preparing themselves now by being proactive during their internships, volunteering for the unglamorous assignments and remaining curious.

She also encourages aspiring reporters to study subjects beyond journalism, such as economics, foreign policy or government, to develop the expertise needed to ask better questions and produce more informative stories.

"Careers rarely unfold according to plan and in all likelihood, your first job will not be your dream job," Heinrich said. "But the right job is the one that energizes you, the one you're excited to talk about and keeps you reaching for more. You don't have to plan the next ten steps, just the first one."