The David Gergen Summer Fellowship Program is a highly competitive program that supports trailblazing public service and leadership opportunities, enabling a select number of HKS students to gain meaningful, practical, hands-on experience and develop important networks through summer internships in government or nonprofit service.
By Daniela Schulman
The grassy wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay look nothing like the rocky beaches of my childhood in the Pacific Northwest. But my commitment to protecting coastal ecosystems and communities from climate impacts remains the same, whether I’m working in Washington or Maryland.
This summer, I served in the Maryland Department of the Environment, helping the secretary’s leadership team advance climate resilience, environmental justice, and clean energy deployment. A highlight of my work included supporting the relaunch of Maryland’s environmental justice screening tool featured in Governor Moore’s July 18 executive order. Another was conducting nearly 30 interviews to craft recommendations for increasing affordable, abundant clean energy in the state. These projects enabled me to sharpen my project management skills, deepen my energy expertise, and meaningfully contribute in ten weeks.
My work was made possible by the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School, which funded me as a David Gergen Summer Fellow. When applying, I shared my vision of launching from graduate school into public service to implement state climate, energy, and ocean policy. Joining the Secretary of the Environment’s team was my chance to test that vision with hands-on implementation experience. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity and the resulting lessons in leadership.
"Serving in Maryland, I was surrounded by more positive examples of effective, principled public leadership than ever before."
Daniela Schulman MPP 2026
One particular lesson from the deputy secretary shaped my approach to the summer. After reviewing my work plan, which included deliverables like memos, reports, and presentations, she asked me, “Are you trying to write a paper or change a behavior?” She pushed me to consider my problem definition more carefully and approach my projects from a change management perspective. I rose to challenge with help from Harvard, applying Ronald Heifetz’s tools in “The Practice of Adaptive Leadership” and Marshall Ganz’s principles in “People, Power, and Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal” to the issues my agency wanted to tackle.
For example, the Water and Science Administration had been working for five years to update permit requirements to account for climate impacts and increase resilience. The work was voluntary, largely unfund
ed, and delivering slow, uneven progress. My supervisor hoped to support and eventually expand the work across the entire agency. While the problem had technical aspects, it was largely an adaptive challenge. To assess the problem, I asked who benefited from the status quo and how conflicting priorities and attitudes toward risk were impacting progress. I met with staff at all levels and listened closely to their concerns. To develop guidance for permit modernization, I focused on leadership’s need to nurture a shared story and commitment across program teams, plus a structure to hold everyone accountable. Behavior change requires patience, but I left Maryland knowing I helped move the needle.
The deputy secretary was full of wisdom, but she did get one thing wrong. She told me that the best teachers are the worst leaders. Respectfully, I disagree. Serving in Maryland, I was surrounded by more positive examples of effective, principled public leadership than ever before. I took notes watching the governor deliver a speech, the deputy secretary respond to a briefing, and the senior policy advisor prepare for a cabinet-level meeting. Despite a summer full of strong headwinds at the federal level, I left feeling hopeful and proud of the state leaders who remain committed to climate action.
This year at Harvard Kennedy School, I will carry my leadership lessons from the Chesapeake Bay to Boston Harbor. I am excited to make the Center for Public Leadership my campus home and grow within its community of practice to best advance state climate, ocean, and energy policy in the years ahead.
David Gergen Summer Fellowship Program
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