Mary Monti conducts research work with both the Research, Evaluating, and Modernizing Government and Center for Presidential Transition teams to support the Partnership’s mission of promoting better government and smoother presidential transitions. Her interest in government first arose as she witnessed chaotic events like the COVID pandemic and January 6^th and she developed this interest in policy, politics, and polarization at Duke University. Here her studies of public policy and psychology allowed her to explore why and how people develop and express political beliefs, culminating on a thesis about the ways that civic education curricula are manipulated to teach certain political beliefs. Her favorite public servant is Liz Cheney, for her willingness to uphold the foundations of government following January 6th despite the personal costs.

Betsy Super oversees operational activities and the integration of the Center’s work across the Partnership. Previously, Betsy worked in nonprofits and at universities, including on programs connecting public servants and the public with relevant social science research. She has been interested in how public service can improve people’s lives since learning about how her grandfather, trained as a psychologist, served in the Army Air Corp to support pilots’ reintegration into civilian life at the end of World War II. In addition to her brother, Betsy’s favorite public servants are John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who together created the model for the transition of power between outgoing and incoming administrations over 200 years ago.

Chantelle leads the development of transition-related policy and strategy for the Center for Presidential Transition, focusing on the development, implementation and impact of a presidential management agenda pre-election and continuing through a president’s term. Chantelle has always been fascinated by how people, ideas, systems and processes interact to effect change and impact peoples’ everyday lives. Having studied political science, Chantelle’s fascination grew from serving in senior leadership and executive roles in Australia’s Public Service (in the state of Victoria), where she lead teams to develop public policy and strategic advice to government across a broad range of portfolios including education, human services, intergovernmental relations, governance, industrial relations, and government transitions and election support.

Chris Piper leads the Center for Presidential Transition’s work on transition related process reforms and reducing the number of Senate confirmed positions. He also creates and updates resources for transition stakeholders, provides Agency Transition Roundtable support and assists in the Washington Post Tracker data collection and analysis. Chris’ interest in the federal government was sparked when he worked as a research assistant for the Sourcebook of United States Executive Agencies produced by the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS). He later expanded his passion for the management of executive agencies through his dissertation research on the causes and consequences of vacancies in Senate-confirmed appointed positions at Vanderbilt University. Chris’ favorite public servant is the late Frank Kameny, a trailblazer for the LGBT rights movement and an early advocate for the right of LGBT Americans to serve in the federal government.

Khushi Parikh assists with communications strategy and execution for the Center for Presidential Transition. Her interest in Government began in her early years, when she competed on the debate team in high school. Khushi’s passion for public service strengthened in her previous role as a Policy Analyst intern with the Texas Black Caucus Foundation, an organization focused on advancing racial justice in Texas. Khushi is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A in Government and a Minor in Communications. Her two favorite public servants are Rudy Metayer, a first-generation Lawyer and legislator who is a tireless advocate for social equity in Texas, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an activist and the youngest woman ever to serve in the U.S Congress.

Jenny Mattingley oversees the strategic direction for the Partnership’s government affairs and advocacy efforts focused on improving and modernizing government management and services for the public. Jenny comes to the Partnership and the Government Affairs team with a passion for supporting federal public servants through policies and programs that provide the tools needed to meet their missions. Jenny has been working to make government better in a variety of roles prior to joining the Partnership. She served in the executive branch at OMB focusing on hiring reform efforts and the workforce priority of the President’s Management Agenda, spent several years consulting with good government organizations, served as the executive director of the Performance Improvement Council and the founding director of the White House Leadership Development Program, and spent many years overseeing policy for the Senior Executives Association. Given all the incredible current and former federal employees (including family members!) that Jenny has collaborated with and learned from over the years, she has too many favorites to name and thanks all of them for their service and commitment.

Austin Laufersweiler leads communication strategy for the Partnership’s Center for Presidential Transition. Austin’s professional experience in U.S. House and Senate offices, plus his background in campaigns and issue advocacy nonprofits, drives his commitment to make the federal government a more effective force for public good. Austin’s favorite public servant is Dr. Sherry Hunt, an agricultural engineer and expert in design of earthen dams at the Department of Agriculture who was a finalist for the 2021 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals.

Jill Hyland manages programs to promote federal employee engagement and to enhance government effectiveness. Inspired by multiple generations of public servants in her family, Jill earned a master’s degree in public policy at Duke University and spent more than 25 years working alongside government leaders to develop their people and improve agency performance. Having managed capacity building programs at the National Governors Association and the City University of New York, she appreciates the roles that leaders at all levels of government– federal, state, and local—play in the lives of Americans. One of Jill’s favorite public servants is Dr. Vince Hutchins, her late father-in-law and a pediatrician who led the maternal and child health division at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve health outcomes for children and families across the nation.