We recently spoke to Kosali Simon, APPAM's President-Elect, about her time with the association, plans for the future, and more! Read her full responses below.
Tell us about your journey with APPAM. How did you get started with the organization?
When I was a new assistant professor close to two decades ago, I saw many of my colleagues thought of APPAM as their main home, so I started to attend, and found it an incredibly rewarding experience. I saw great research presented in a way that made clear its practical importance, by people who seemed very accessible to new scholars like me.
What are some of your goals as president-elect, and eventually, as president?
Honestly, I just want to enable the organization to do all the great things I have seen done under the past leadership! Of course, that means adapting to the times, and we know there are new challenges and opportunities in policy analysis and management. APPAM pays particular attention to developing the field, be it bringing in new scholars or helping long-time members achieve their full potential, ultimately to foster the use of evidence in public decision making.
From your perspective, what are some of the things that make APPAM unique, and why do you love being a member?
First of all—what a tremendous staff APPAM has. The team is so dedicated, innovative and knowledgeable. I have been a fan of theirs from the start and now am very fortunate to get to work in this capacity with them. APPAM is also unique in how closely connected the members and the elected council are to what’s happening at ground level. Part of this comes from the way practitioners and academics blend within APPAM. These are some of the top ways I see APPAM as filling a unique space.
The theme of this year’s Fall Research Conference is “Forging Collaborations for Transformative and Resilient Policy Solutions.” Can you speak to an example of a successful partnership between researchers and policymakers, business leaders, or interested citizens that you’ve been involved with in your career?
One area of a vital and active partnership I have gotten to see is society’s grappling with the opioid epidemic in the US. This is not a problem we have solved by any means; the opioid epidemic melds from one form to another once policy and practice adapts to the forces of several years ago, it's something new before we know it. But one thing I see for sure if that without the active working of researchers and policymakers, business leaders, or interested citizens, things would have been much worse.
What advice do you have for our student members and young professionals just starting out in their careers?
The biggest piece of advice I could give to myself when I was starting out, to anyone in that spot today, is to find your professional circle of colleagues and realize that you will rely on them and they on you more than you might think.
Let’s end with a fun one. What’s your dream destination for an APPAM conference?
Can we go to Hawaii some year (I have never been there) and make travel free for everyone, and also have a national holiday week around APPAM? More seriously, getting to be close to the decision makers, APPAM being in Washington DC that enables many people to attend, that is the dream destination.