Penn Washington recently welcomed three new staff members to help lead its domestic and global policy programming as the center revamps its efforts to connect the University with the nation’s capital.
Among the new hires are Director of Global Policy Programs Daniel Schneiderman, Domestic Policy Programs Coordinator Sasha Nicholas, and Global Policy Programs Coordinator Nikki Hinshaw. The additions come as Penn Washington aims to elevate Penn’s role in national policy discussions by connecting faculty and students with elected officials working on major global and domestic challenges.
Schneiderman worked in government for nearly two decades — including with positions at the Pentagon, Department of State, White House, and Capitol Hill — before joining Penn Washington in January. He told The Daily Pennsylvanian that his new position will allow him to translate academic research into conversations happening in Washington.
“There are people who have different views and issues and perspectives and things they want to work on, and I’m really excited to partner with all of them,” Schneiderman said. “I think there’s a richness to the policy debate that academic institutions … like the University of Pennsylvania bring to policymakers.”
Schneiderman added that he looks forward to “playing a bridge role between Philadelphia and D.C.”
“There’s so much good going on at the University, and I’m really excited to work with people across the interdisciplinary spectrum,” he said.
In his new role, Schneiderman will help develop Penn Washington’s global policy programming, which focuses on areas such as strategic competition in the Arctic and the risks of nuclear proliferation. The work is intended to draw from expertise across Penn’s schools and research centers.
“There are any number of things across the spectrum where I can imagine us doing things in partnership with the Wharton School, with the Penn Development Research Institute, with Perry World House, any number of other partners,” Schneiderman said.
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He said a central goal of the programming will be to involve students in policy discussions and expose them to real-world policymaking processes. Last month, Schneiderman — alongside leaders at PWH — weighed in on the implications of the United States military conflict in Iran.
“It’s intended to inform and enrich the educational experience of students at every level at the University,” he said.
“I intend to be front and center in what we do here,” Schneiderman continued. “If I can play some small role in helping enrich the academic experience of Penn students, both graduate and undergraduate, then I’ll have considered my job done.”
Nicholas — who joined Penn Washington this February as domestic policy programs coordinator — previously worked on child care policy and on artificial intelligence initiatives at the Chamber of Commerce Foundation. She described her move to Penn Washington as a transition to higher education after working primarily in government and with nonprofits.
One of the first things that stood out, she said, was the scale of the University.
“I was very surprised at how large the University of Pennsylvania was,” Nicholas said. “There’s so many moving pieces, but the exciting part is that just within one organization … there’s so many connections you can make.”
Nicholas said the program’s domestic policy portfolio reflects a wide range of policy conversations taking place in Washington — including discussions on “climate, healthcare, AI governance, [and] democracy.”
She added that many of the center’s policy discussions increasingly intersect with AI, which she described as a “hot topic” in Washington.
Nicholas said the center has already hosted programming exploring those intersections, including discussions on the future of work and labor markets as well as research on the relationship between AI, energy demand, and grid reliability.
Hinshaw, who joined Penn Washington earlier this month as a global policy programs coordinator, previously worked at the Washington campuses of Arizona State University and Purdue University. She characterized her career so far as at the “intersection of higher education and international affairs.”
“I’ve always really loved aspects of subnational diplomacy,” she said, describing the concept as using institutions like universities to help influence foreign policy debates.
As she begins her tenure at Penn Washington, Hinshaw said she is focused on learning about the University’s research ecosystem and building connections with faculty and students.
“Learning from all of the incredible expertise across disciplines and starting to think proactively about how we can better engage students through the global policy work will definitely be something I’m excited to do,” Hinshaw described.
Penn’s Board of Trustees discussed plans for Penn Washington’s future at a meeting of the body’s Local, National, and Global Engagement Committee earlier this month.
At the March 6 meeting, Patrick Harker, director of academic engagement at Penn Washington, said he hopes the center will bring “sustained engagement” to Washington.
“But what we’re looking at is sustained engagement to influence policy, to have an impact on policy, and that’s important for a couple of reasons,” he explained. “One, I think the country, the world is hungry for this, right? Fact-based, objective. That’s what we do here at Penn.”
Penn Washington inaugural Executive Director Celeste Wallander echoed a similar sentiment at the meeting.
“Our focus is largely using this fabulous space to create the opportunity for sustained engagement with the policy community and a safe space for speaking about policy ideas and solutions, again, informed by knowledge research and evidence-based findings from the University,” she said.
The new hirings come after Wallander spoke about her intention for the center to build toward a more robust presence in Washington in an August 2025 interview with the DP.
“I think that, especially at a time when there is unfortunately a public narrative questioning the value of the universities in general, it is really important for policymakers, the media, the international community, and really the American people to understand that universities are able to help provide solutions that are really important to people’s daily lives,” Wallander said at the time.
Penn Washington was launched in June 2024 and has already hosted a wide range of programming for students, researchers, and faculty.
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Staff reporter Riana Mahtani covers national politics and can be reached at mahtani@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies political science. Follow her on X @Riana_Mahtani.
