About the Fellowship

The Kathleen Crotty Fellowship honors the legacy of NJPP’s late board chair, Kathleen Crotty, by giving the next generation of New Jersey policy leaders an intensive, paid summer experience in policy analysis and advocacy under the mentorship of NJPP’s experienced staff. Crotty Fellows research and write reports, op-eds, and blog posts and join NJPP analysts in outreach and coalition work. Fellows come away with experience and networks to help them launch successful careers in New Jersey public service.

2021 Kathleen Crotty Fellowship

Kimberly Thomson, MS, MPH began her career in clinical genetics, providing counseling services to both prenatal and pediatric patients. With a desire to expand her focus to population health, she recently completed a master’s degree in Public Health Policy and Administration at Montclair State University. Since graduating, she has worked in the policy office of the All of Us genomics research program at the NIH where her projects included review and analysis of ethical, legal, and social issues in areas such as consent, data access, and pediatric participation.

Previous Fellows

2020: Marleina Ubel analyzed the state budget with her explainer For the People, By the People. Marleina is currently working on a major report diving deeply into police budgeting practices.

2020: Nausheen Rajan analyzed the New Jersey public transit system. Her report, Roadmap to Electrifying New Jersey’s Public Bus Fleet, explores the environmental, fiscal, and public health benefits of electrifying the state’s bus fleet.

2019: Vineeta Kapahi analyzed Earn Income Tax Credit policies in New Jersey. Her report, Prosperity for All: Expanding The Earned Income Tax Credit for Childless Workers, highlighted one of the most effective anti-poverty programs for working-age households in the U.S.

2018: Jazmyne McNeese analyzed reproductive justice policies in New Jersey. Her report, Defending Reproductive Rights in New Jersey by Improving Access to Health Care for All, highlighted opportunities to improve access to reproductive care for historically underserved groups, including women of color, undocumented immigrants, LGBTQ communities, and incarcerated people.

2017: Holly Low analyzed New Jersey’s early childcare system. Her report, Increasing Opportunities for Working Mothers Would Boost the Economy, demonstrates how families and the economy can benefit from increased investments in early care and education, and stronger labor standards.

2016: Amy Dunford analyzed New Jersey’s paid family leave insurance policy. Her report, Boosting Families, Boosting the Economy: How to Improve New Jersey’s Paid Family Leave Program, drove NJPP’s successful advocacy to improve this vital program for the state’s working mothers and fathers.

About Kathleen Crotty

Kathy was a groundbreaking force in New Jersey public life. She served as the executive director of the state Senate Democratic Office from 1986 until she retired in 2009 – the first woman to lead one of the legislature’s partisan offices. A longtime advocate for women in public office, and a renowned mentor and advocate for people starting careers in public service, Kathy set high standards in recruiting and nurturing the Senate office’s policy staff. She became a New Jersey Policy Perspective trustee in 2010 and was welcomed unanimously as Board chair in 2015. Kathy’s keen policy insights, deep political knowledge, and steadfast progressive values made her an invaluable leader for NJPP and inspiration for NJPP’s staff and Board, as well as many others in New Jersey public service.

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