Presidential Management Fellowship Program

PRESIDENTIAL MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

The purpose of the Program is to attract to the Federal service outstanding men and women from a variety of academic disciplines and career paths who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs.

  • A nationally competitive fellowship
  • Provides a 2-year post-graduate, paid fellowship with a federal agency for Master's and PhD students and alums (within last 2 years)
  • Presidential Management Fellowships provide leadership opportunities for awardees to begin a management career-track position with a federal agency while often enjoying the flexibility to rotate to other agencies within the 2-year fellowship
  • PMFs receive accelerated promotion potential not available through regular federal hiring avenues
  • The new Pathways Program (for entry into federal service by students and recent graduates) launches on July 10, 2012 (and includes changes to the PMF Program)

One SNRE STUDENT AND One SNRE ALUM NAMED 2013 PMF FINALISTS!

  • Jessica Whittemore (SNRE MS student) and James Mulligan (SNRE MS/MAE alum) were named as 2013 PMF Finalists. Congratulations to you both!

CLASS OF 2014 (2013-2014 APPLICATION PERIOD): October 1-15, 2013

  • OPM is in the process of updating the application timeline for the Class of 2014.

LEARN MORE

  • SNRE Info Session on Federal Careers (including PMF program): THURS 9/26, 12-1pm, 1046 Dana--please RSVP via eRecruiter
  • Visit the official PMF website for full details.
  • Check out SNRE's PMF powerpoint presentation
  • Be sure to also view PMF's powerpoint presentation for an overview of the program (but please be aware that this year's application process will be different with the new Pathways Program changes).
  • SNRE students and recent graduates (within last 2 years): Join the "SNREPMF2014" email list on the UM Directory to get important updates.
  • If you are a federal agency looking to hire a top environmental/ natural resources graduate for a PMF position, please contact Lisa Yee-Litzenberg at yeeha@umich.edu for resumes and contact info for our PMF finalists.

WHAT DO SNRE'S PRESIDENTIAL MANAGEMENT FELLOWS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE PROGRAM?

"The Presidential Management Fellows program is an amazing opportunity. You get a lot of visibility within the agency where you work, and you receive a lot of opportunities to develop your leadership skills through on-the-job and formal training. Agencies that have hosted PMFs in the past expect a lot, because they know that PMFs come with a broad range of experiences, enthusiasm, and dedication to public service -- and that means you get the opportunity to contribute substantively to your agency's work."

--Stephanie Bertaina, former Presidential Management Fellow (USDA Forest Service, Washington, D.C., SNRE MS 2006) and current Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA, Washington, D.C.

ELIGIBILITY

Graduate students from all academic disciplines who are in their graduating year and expect to complete an advanced degree and alums who have completed their degrees within the last 2 years (Master's, Law, or Doctoral-level degree) from a qualifying college or university are eligible to apply if they demonstrate the following:

  • Breadth and quality of accomplishments,
  • Capacity for leadership, and
  • A commitment to excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs.

To be eligible for placement with a Federal agency through the PMF Program, current applicants must successfully complete all graduate degree requirements (including any thesis or dissertation if required) between September 1, 2013 and August 31, 2014.  Additionally recent Masters and PhD graduates from the past two years may also apply.

Current student applicants may apply to the PMF Program only during the academic year they will complete and satisfy graduate degree requirements from a qualifying college or university.

U.S. Citizenship Requirement

Opportunities for Federal employment for non-United States citizens through the Presidential Management Fellows Program are extremely limited. By law, Federal agencies are prohibited from hiring anyone who is not a United States citizen for positions in the continental United States.

There are certain exemptions to this restriction. A non-citizen may be eligible for employment if the individual is: (1) permitted by a Federal agency's appropriation act or agency-specific statutes covering the hiring of non-citizens, and (2) eligible to work under U.S. immigration laws. PMFs must possess United States citizenship by the conclusion of the two-year fellowship.

If a non-United States citizen is appointed as a PMF by a Federal Agency and does not possess full United States citizenship at the conclusion of the two-year PMF fellowship, by law, the non-United States citizen cannot be converted to permanent career or career-conditional employment, or retained by the employing agency. The PMF Program Office will not grant extensions or deferrals to a PMF's fellowship in order to meet citizenship requirements for conversion. For information on U.S. immigration laws and U.S. citizenship, go to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's website at www.dhs.gov.

 

CURRENT AND PAST SNRE PRESIDENTIAL MANAGEMENT FELLOWS

 

NamePMF AgencyLocationYearCurrent Employer
Ben Johnson USDA Forest Service Tucson, AZ 2012 Current
Anna S. Coldham, MS/MBA National Park Service, Pacific West Region Oakland, CA 2011 Current
Rebecca Brooke, MS/MBA USDA Forest Service, Division of State and Private Forestry Newtown Square, PA 2010 Current
Lauren Marshall (Lesch), MLA USDA Forest Service Washington, D.C. 2010 Current
Michael Sintetos, MS Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Sacramento, CA 2010 Current
Sarah Tomsky, MS USDA Forest Service, Fire and Aviation Management Vallejo, CA 2010 Current
Kristen Johnson, MS U.S. Department of Energy, Biomass Program Washington, DC 2009 Current
Mose Jones-Yellin, MS USDA Forest Service Clovis, CA 2009 Current
William Walter, MS U.S. EPA, Region 5 Chicago, IL 2009 Current
Lauren Pidot, MS Bureau of Land Management Washington, DC 2008 Current
Michelle Aldridge, MS USDA Forest Service Albuquerque, NM 2008 Current
Sarah Levy, MS USDA Forest Service Washington, DC 2008 Current
Heather Gott, MS/JD USDA Forest Service Anchorage, AK 2008 Current
Alicia Lindauer-Thompson, MS U.S. Department of Energy, Biomass Program Washington, DC 2008 Current
Vicki Schwantes, MS/MPP NOAA Silver Spring, MD & Washington, DC 2007 Current
Sarah Hines, MS/MBA USDA Forest Service Newtown Square, PA 2007 Current
Ann Vail, MS USDA Forest Service Portland, OR 2007 Current
Beth Hahn, PhD USDA Forest Service Missoula, MT 2007 Current
Stephanie Bertaina, MS USDA Forest Service Washington, DC 2006 Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA (Washington, DC)
Erin Uloth, MS USDA Forest Service Ketchikan, AK 2005 USDA Forest Service (Anchorage, AK)
Richard Chandler, MS/MBA Office of Management and Budget, Energy Branch Washington, DC 2004 Commercial Development Manager, BP Solar
Peter Murchie, MS/MPH U.S. EPA, Region 5 Chicago, IL 1998 Associate Award Official and Clean Energy Advisor, U.S. EPA (Seattle, WA)

 

TIMELINE

Upcoming PMF Class of 2014 Schedule:

**This schedule is subject to change, please be sure to check official PMF website (under "Become a PMF") for latest schedule.

October 1-15, 2013: PMF Application Period (Apply online during the application window via "Presidential Management Fellows" job posting: https://www.usajobs.gov)--allow 3 hours for application process (which includes an un-proctored online assessment which can be taken anywhere)

TBD: Those who pass the online assessment will be notified that they are now "Semi-Finalists" and can start scheduling their In-Person Assessments

January/ February 2014: In-Person Assessments (full day event in Washington, D.C.)

March 2014: PMF Finalists notified via email (and Finalists' names posted to PMF website)

Spring 2014: PMF Job Fair (Washington, D.C.)--If you pass the in-person assessment, you will be invited to participate in the job fair

PMF Application Requirements--visit PMF website to learn how to apply

  • SNRE students: Be sure to contact Lisa to make sure you are on the SNRE PMF Listserv to stay in the loop about important application process updates, PMF resources, etc.

A-Z INDEX OF U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES & DEPARTMENTS

Index of U.S. Government Agencies & Departments

WHICH FEDERAL AGENCIES HAVE OPPORTUNITIES ABROAD?

HOW DO PMF FINALISTS FIND POSITIONS?

1) Check PMF positions on the PMF website - check it frequently as new positions are added frequently.

2) Attend PMF job fair in D.C. to network (even if you are looking for positions outside of D.C.) and interview with agencies.

3) Contact PMF agency coordinators to see if they know of any new positions in the works that are not listed.

4) SNRE students may contact SNRE alums who are current or past PMFs (see list above) to get help making agency connections.

FEDERAL AGENCIES:

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

CONTACT: Lisa Yee-Litzenberg, SNRE, Coordinator of Student Career Services, Room 1520 Dana (Suite 1504a)

Ph: 734-615-1633, E-mail: yeeha@umich.edu

View SNRE's PMF Powerpoint Presentation