Elana Berkowitz
Master in Public Administration candidate
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Prior Education
Harvard Business School, M.B.A. candidateBrown University, B.A.
Professional Experience
McKinsey & Company: Summer AssociateCenter for American Progress: Strategic Initiatives Manager and Editor, CampusProgress.org
Downtown for Democracy: Coordinating Council Chair
NPR’s Sonic Memorial Project: Contributing Producer
MTV’s THINK Community: Advisory Board member
Freelance journalist
Biography
Graduating in 2001, after a bitter election season, I was moved seeing many of my friends dispirited, left feeling like “invisible citizens”—ignored and disengaged. Working simultaneously in the social sector for a number of non-profits and as a journalist piqued my interest in using media as a means to substantively connect and engage young people on critical social challenges, both domestically and globally. I believe the confluence of culture, media, and social issues can be harnessed to inspire and activate a wide spectrum of public and private sector constituents. At the Center for American Progress, I worked with a small team to launch a new program to engage young people in politics with the intention of producing a new, more unified and informed generation of activists, writers, policy makers, and communicators.
Democracy is a dialogue, not a soliloquy, and engaging new voices, new allies and new partners often means communicating in new and creative ways. Ultimately, I want to find a space where I can utilize my media skills in the service of creating social change, with a particular focus on multi-stakeholder solutions and savvy public/private partnerships. In the short term, I’d like to take on a leadership position on the foundation side of a major media company. I am honored to a be a part of the Zuckerman Fellowship and look forward to an educational experience that will deepen and challenge my public sector skills, while granting me entry into an inspiring peer group that can serve as a community for idea generation, coalition forming, and skill-building.
