Hoping to learn more about the Women and Public Policy Program?
By Nicole Carter Quinn, Executive Director of the Women and Public Policy Program
The research centers at Harvard Kennedy School are a great resource for students to get involved with real-world policy issues. The Women and Public Policy Program (WAPPP)’s faculty, research fellows, and students are committed to advancing women and gender equity globally. Through rigorous research, WAPPP offers gender insights into work, politics, and conflict that have the potential to reduce or eliminate barriers so all people can fulfill their life aspirations unconstrained by gender bias.
Executive Director Nicole Carter Quinn discusses the Women and Public Policy Program and the various ways incoming students can engage with its initiatives and opportunities.
What work does the Woman and Public Policy Program focus on?
Our mission at WAPPP is to advance women and gender equity by equipping leaders and changemakers with evidence-based strategies and data-driven policies and procedures to promote systemic change. We support faculty research projects, train leaders across sectors, and champion students’ development to become influential decision-makers around the world. Because gender inequality is a structural problem, it requires structural solutions. These solutions involve both systemic interventions, as well as empowerment and skills building of the future generations of leaders and changemakers to navigate the systems currently in place.
To get a better sense of all that took place at WAPPP last year, take a look at our 2024-2025 Annual Report.
What resources does the Woman and Public Policy Program provide to students?
We offer a range of resources to support students interested in gender and public policy. Research and funding opportunities include work with WAPPP-affiliated faculty and projects, support for student research and capstone projects that apply a gender lens, and summer internship funding for public service or policy roles focused on gender.
We also offer a political training program annually called From Harvard Square to the Oval Office, which is a non-partisan, co-curricular program that provides a select group of Harvard graduate students with tools and support to ascend in the electoral process at the local, state, and national levels. The Oval Office program is designed to inspire students to run for office through hands-on trainings, by growing their networks, and by connecting them with an array of leaders who serve as role models to the cohort.
We pride ourselves on creating a community that is open and inclusive to all, so we urge students to visit our space! Attend talks and seminars or just come by our office suite and chat with staff to find other ways to get involved.
“Our mission at WAPPP is to advance women and gender equity by equipping leaders and changemakers with evidence-based strategies and data-driven policies and procedures to promote systemic change.”
Nicole Carter Quinn, Executive Director of the Women and Public Policy Program
How can students get involved with the Woman and Public Policy Program at HKS?
There are so many ways to get involved: you can attend our public-facing or Harvard community events, including our current virtual seminar series. You can apply for research opportunities or summer internships through WAPPP, and you can partner with us through student groups on events or projects related to gender and public policy.
If you’re at HKS, I’d encourage you first to reach out to the WAPPP office, join the mailing list, and come to an event! From there, we can help you map opportunities that match your interests around gender equity.
What is your role with the Program?
As executive director for WAPPP, my role is to set strategic direction in partnership with our faculty co-directors Iris Bohnet and Hannah Riley Bowles; as well as to build and steward partnerships with policymakers, practitioners, funders, and organizations seeking to advance gender equity. I’m also involved in supporting our student and faculty community—ensuring that WAPPP is a hub where people working on gender-related issues can find mentorship, collaboration, and resources.
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