Internship Location: Rockville MD
Organization Type: Local Government
Policy Areas: Consulting/Research
The Montgomery County Council’s Summer Fellows Program is a collaboration among the Montgomery County Council, the Council’s Office of Legislative Oversight, Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, and the Montgomery County Executive Branch that provides multiple access points to leaders who shape Montgomery County. Through my internship I worked directly with decision makers (elected officials, senior management staff,) in the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) on strategic projects from identifying infrastructure projects eligible for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) grant funding and drafting the narrative for the relevant BIL grant, to identifying congestion hot spots for buses and recommending infrastructure improvements to increase their efficiency. At MCDOT, I practiced public management skills and wrote memos, presented data analysis using Tableau, ArcGIS, or Excel, to senior leadership on a weekly basis that framed discussion around next-step work and strategic direction at MCDOT. In addition to an agency placement, the Fellowship required that I conduct a policy analyses and self-selected research projects for the County Council. The Fellows present their independent research and policy recommendations to the full Council at the conclusion of their program. Alongside other Fellows, I participated in field trips throughout the summer and learned about some of the County’s most innovative programs and meet inspirational leaders.