Program supports service members’ transition to public service

Because he speaks several languages and worked in more than a dozen countries during his decade as a U.S. Army officer, Capt. Muizz Valiani thought he might one day transition to a federal position in international policy analysis.

Now a student in the Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) program at the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, he said a fellowship offered through the school has introduced him to opportunities to serve closer to home, through work in state or local government.

"Even if I leave the Army, I want to continue in public service," said Valiani, a civil affairs officer at Fort Knox in Kentucky. "It's what I've done my entire life."

Valiani is one of eight Brooks School master's students in public and health administration named fellows in the first cohort of the Service to Serviceinitiative, supported by the Volcker Alliance and We the Veterans and Military Families. The program seeks to connect veterans and military families with public service education pathways and careers in public leadership.

"Veterans and military families are among our nation's most trusted communities," Volcker Alliance President Sara Mogulescu said in a statement. "Through the Service to Service initiative, we're leveraging that trust to rebuild confidence in government. It's a long road, but we believe this can spark real cultural change."

Cornell is one of 12 participating public policy schools, and the only Ivy League representative. Thomas O'Toole, executive director of public affairs programming at the Brooks School, said the executive and residential master's programs he oversees enroll dozens of veterans overall. Service to Service further enhances Cornell's mission to recruit and support veterans - and helps attract strong master's candidates.

"They're highly motivated, they're mission oriented, they know how to get things done," O'Toole said. "I firmly believe we have an obligation to best serve those that have served us. It's the right thing to do for a land-grant institution."

Through their coursework, capstone projects and fellowships, the Cornell students say they are building a close-knit professional network and applying lessons learned at work and in their communities.

In addition to his studies, U.S. Army Maj. Jess Warren, a residential MPA student involved in Veterans Houseon campus, has been invited to join a task force advising U.S. Rep. Josh Riley (D-19th District), on veteran issues. Warren said New York state could establish more "one-stop shop" service centers to help veterans navigate complex benefits, from health care to housing, as exists at the Buffalo VA Medical Center where he worked until recently.

More broadly, Warren, who serves on the Buffalo Arts Commission and in a local political block club, hopes to support cities rebounding from deindustrialization. He is coordinating his research to support work in Buffalo, and considering one day running for office.

"How can you get these cities to function where they're resilient and can start breaking cycles of poverty since the jobs went away?" Warren said. "It does bring that service mentality, if you don't mind hitting the streets and that kind of neighborhood interaction."

O'Toole is planning a panel discussion for Service to Service fellows nationally on how to run for elected office. He is also exploring adding fellowships dedicated to members of the New York Army National Guard, working in partnership with Alex Hammond '18, EMPA '25, the Guard's chief of legislative affairs.

Among other duties, Hammond has been working to implement his recent master's capstone project, which recommended that the National Guard partner with State University of New York campuses to improve recruitment. Thanks to its long connection to the Guard, including Barton Hall's origins as a drill hall built by the state, Cornell is an ideal place to help develop policy-oriented service members at the graduate level, he said.

"Having leaders who understand at a higher level what's going on in local and state government, it's only going to help when we get called to a supportive status, like during a natural disaster," Hammond said. "They're going to be better leaders in those chaotic moments."

Ben Parker, a student in the Executive Master of Health Administration (EMHA) program, said his 13 years as a Navy hospital corpsman, preceded by childhood support for an ailing parent, could be described as "care under fire." Now studying population health, Parker, who manages a group of clinics at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, said he hopes to help improve systems and communities where processes and policy may worsen health.

"I wanted to end up somewhere where I could help people more than just being at the hospital," said Parker. "Service is something that just is in my bones."

Cornell's Service to Service fellows this fall attended an orientation in Ohio officially launching the first cohort. Valiani said he drew inspiration from mentors including a retired city planner, a mayor who discussed repurposing an old municipal building and adopting renewable energy sources, and Walter "Ted" Carter Jr., a retired vice admiral who leads The Ohio State University, who offered advice on transitioning from military to civilian service.

"It was a phenomenal orientation that gave me new insight into state and local government and giving back to your community," Valiani said. "I always want to work with a sense of purpose and be able to make an impact."