The Policy Pulse | January 2026 Newsletter

JANUARY 2026

Passion. Purpose. Progress. These tenets have defined the Policy School since its founding in 2006, shaped by visionary leadership and a deep commitment to public service, interdisciplinary thinking, and positive impact. As we begin our 20th anniversary year, we will celebrate how far we have come, reconnect with why our work matters, and imagine with intention who we want to become.

The roots of the Policy School lie in Northeastern University’s long-standing commitment to urban engagement. In the 1990s, President Richard Freeland articulated a vision of Northeastern as a leading urban university embedded in the life of Boston. That vision was advanced by urban affairs scholar Barry Bluestone, who built on the legacy of former Governor Michael Dukakis and founded the Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy in 1999. The integration of research, education, and real-world problem solving that defined the Center became the foundation of the Policy School.

Founded in 2006 and guided over the years by dedicated and distinguished leadership, including my predecessors Barry Bluestone, Joan Fitzgerald, Matthias Ruth, and Jennie C. Stephens, the Policy School has grown its Boston-focused public service mission into a global presence. Today, grounded in interdisciplinary scholarship and experiential learning, we are thinkers and doers creating impact from neighborhoods to nations.

As we mark our 20th anniversary, we honor both our legacy and our future. We launched what will be a year-long series of commemorative gatherings in January with two events that highlighted the legacy of Prof. Ted Landsmark: the Martin Luther King Jr. Day convening and the Keep Moving Forward dialogue about social movement building, past and present. I hope that the events we have planned in the coming months will bring our community together and create new spaces for connection, learning, and impact as we continue to build a more just, resilient, and sustainable world.

Warmly,

Maria

Maria Ivanova

Director, The Policy School

Co-Director, Plastics Center

UPDATES FROM THE POLICY SCHOOL

Keeping the Dream Alive: Prof. Ted Landsmark Carries Forward Dr. King's Legacy

At Northeastern's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration, Prof. Ted Landsmark reminded the audience that the work of social progress requires constant vigilance. In his conversation with New York Times White House correspondent and Northeastern alumnus Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Prof. Landsmark reflected on Dr. King's enduring legacy and the ongoing struggles for justice and equality.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Convening

Upper row: Pres. Joseph Aoun, Richard O'Bryant, Ted Landsmark: Ted Landsmark, Zolan Kanno-Youngs; Ted Landsmark, Zolan Kanno-Youngs

Lower row: Pres. Aoun, Ted Landsmark; Ted Landsmark and the "Soiling of Old Glory" photo; Ted Landsmark, Zolan Kanno-Youngs

Forward Momentum: How to Sustain Activism in Deeply Troubled Times

At the Keep Moving Forward event, Prof. Ted Landsmark joined Social Impact Lab Director Rebecca Riccio for a conversation about their experiences as social justice activists and the invaluable lessons they have learned about building sustainable social movements, even when the path ahead seems difficult.

LISTEN TO THE FULL CONVERSATION

Former Gov. Michael Dukakis and Alicia Modestino

New Leadership at the Dukakis Center

The Policy School is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Alicia Sasser Modestino as Director of the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy. In this new role, Dr. Modestino will expand the Center’s research model to support community- engaged research at the city, state, and regional levels and address today’s urgent challenges facing communities across Northeastern’s global university system. She will also host the annual Dukakis Center Research Symposium on May 14th, which will honor the life’s work of Kitty Dukakis who passed away last March. Dr. Modestino succeeds former Dukakis Center Director Ted Landsmark, known for his policy and advocacy efforts in Greater Boston as well as his decades-long commitment to social activism. READ MORE

From Urban Policy to Plastics: New Seminar Series Spotlights Policy School's Research Powerhouses

The new Policy Innovation Hub seminar series launched with an exploration of the work of BARI, led by Prof. Dan O'Brien. Each session features one of the six centers under the Policy School umbrella: BARI; the Dukakis Center for Urban & Regional Policy; the Global Action for Policy (GAP) Initiative; the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures; the Plastics Center; and the Social Impact Lab.

Springing Ahead: New Students in the New Semester

The Policy School welcomed entering Spring 2026 graduate students at both in-person and virtual sessions at New Student Orientation. The newest members of the Policy School come from eclectic backgrounds but all bring a passion for tackling critical policy challenges, on issues ranging from health and housing to e-waste disposal, at local and international scales.

FACULTY IMPACT

Brewing Change: Participatory Modeling Takes Center Stage at Virtual Coffee Hour

In the second virtual Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) Virtual Coffee Hour, participants including Prof. Moira Zellner and Prof. Gabriela Garcia shared stories of community-engaged participatory modeling and reflected on the impact this has had on earth systems science.

"Build the World Our Families Deserve": Mayor Wu's Call to Action Resonates with Policy Leaders

Prof. Kim Lucas and BARI Community Relations & Programs Manager Ann Walsh attended Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's inauguration celebration. “We are Boston," Mayor Wu told more than 2,000 guests at Boston Symphony Hall, "and we will not appease or abet any threat to our city, and we’ll not wait for permission to build the world our families deserve."

READ MAYOR WU'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS

East Meets West: Plannng Policy Capstones on Two Coasts

Prof. Kim Lucas met with Mills College adjunct faculty member Adam Parker in Oakland over the Winter break to plan for the Policy Capstone on Northeastern's Oakland campus.

Weighty Matters: Developing Freight and Rail Resilience

Prof. Serena Alexander presented a paper, co-authored with PhD student Carmella Uwineza, titled “Institutional Priorities and Implementation Practices for Freight and Rail Resilience: Perspectives from State and Local Government Transportation Planners” at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Changed for Good: Interventions that Work

Prof. Nishith Prakash participated in the ASSA annual conference hosted by the American Economic Association in Philadelphia. He presented a co-authored paper on “Shaping Future Success: Evidence from an Early Childhood Human Capital Formation Intervention.” He also chaired a session on “Policies and Polarization: How Economic and Social Interventions Shape Political Behavior and Intergroup Dynamics in India.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

Professor After Hours | Mon, Feb 2nd | 3:30-5:00 PM ET | Teams

The Northeastern Association for Public Policy Students (NAPPS) invites students from all Northeastern campuses to connect with Policy School faculty beyond the classroom. This session will feature two faculty members: Dr. Daniel Aldrich, who has published five books and more than 115 peer-reviewed articles, and written op-eds for the New York Times, CNN, and many other media outlets; and Dr. Mark Henderson, whose research focuses on environmental and social policy issues in the United States and China.

Sovereignty, Security, and Coercion: U.S. Power from Venezuela to Greenland |Tue, Feb 10th | 5:00-6:15 PM ET | Renaissance Park 909

The Center for International Affairs and World Cultures will present a critical examination of contemporary U.S. interventionism. Co-sponsored with the Center for Global Law and Justice, our interdisciplinary expert panel seeks to analyze how U.S. actions in Venezuela and Greenland challenge principles of sovereignty and international cooperation, with implications for NATO alliances and global security architecture.

Spring '26 Celebration |Thu, Feb 12th | 4:00-7:00 PM ET | Renaissance Park (3rd floor Open Space)

The Policy School invites students, faculty, staff, and alumni to celebrate the start of the Spring 2026 semester, which also marks the 20 anniversary of the Policy School!

BARI Conference 2026: Greater Boston’s 10th Annual Insight-to-Impact Summit | Fri, May 8th

The BARI Conference is a unique forum for community leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to share how they are leveraging the tools of research, scholarship, and design with and for the communities of Greater Boston—and how we can do even more through collective action. The call for proposals has been extended until February 2nd.

NAPPS weekly meeting | Every Friday | NAPPS Weekly Meeting | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams

If you’ve ever wanted to step up, speak out, and shape the world around you, then NAPPS (Northeastern Association for Public Policy Students) is the place to be. Whether you’re eager to test your skills in leadership roles, brainstorm innovative policy solutions, or engage with the larger policy community, NAPPS offers the perfect platform. It’s a space where you don’t just learn—you lead, experiment, and grow.