Heinz College Hosts Akbar Hossain for State & Local Government Week

To kick off this year's State & Local Government Week at Carnegie Mellon, Heinz College hosted Akbar Hossain, Secretary of Policy & Planning for the Office of Governor Josh Shapiro.  He opened the talk with his family's story of immigrating to the United States just days before 9/11, citing difficulties they faced and the key members of his community that helped his family settle roots in Pennsylvania and push Akbar to go to college and reach his full potential.  The throughline of his talk was that "policy is personal", explaining to students that the experiences had in one's own community have a much greater impact on pushing policies to the finish line than the political hot topics and debate we see on a daily basis.  He then explained how these personal connections were a driving force for some of the Shapiro Cabinet's key policies from providing free breakfast and trained mental health counselors in schools for every child, to establishing state funding for public defenders.

Following his talk, Hossain answered questions about his experiences as a lawyer and policy professional, how the Cabinet engages with stakeholders to decide which policies to prioritize, how students can get involved with local politics, tips for international students, and more.  The Heinz College community is honored to have such an esteemed guest provide inspiration and guidance to our student body of future public policy professionals and look forward to the rest of State & Local Government Week!