The Public Service Project – Details, episodes & analysis

Retired, but never idle: Eleesha is retiring after 22 years of federal service, including 18 years as a Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State. Her job took her to India, Mexico, the Philippines, Bermuda, and Singapore, and now that she's back in the U.S., Eleesha is finding new ways to serve her community, and new inspiration for the next chapter of her career. Her transformative experience as a human rights officer in Manila inspired a commitment to human rights in every context, and she's making a surprising (even to me!) announcement about her next big adventure. Eleesha is serving up a healthy dose of her Mom's philosophy on forward motion, and we all stand to benefit.

If you’ve ever wondered what environmental justice has to do with national security - and with the pursuit of the American dream - then this is the episode fort you. Matthew Tejada was raised in Fort Worth, Texas, initially in a community lacking access to a healthy environment. Upon moving to a nearby community with totally different (and better) living conditions, he started to question why and how this unfairness in our society exists, and what he could do about it. In this episode, Matthew describes how low income communities and communities of color are disproportionately affected by a variety of threats, which exacerbate existing disparities in health, wealth, and lifespan. He reminds us that it’s a problem for everyone when huge swaths of society are at risk, and the work of addressing these disparities is essential to building resilience.

We also make a bit of time to freak out over the generational setback to our government through the hollowing out of the civil service. This isn’t one you want to skip.

Former Ambassador Chris Lu started his government career as a GS-2 and went on to serve in high ranking positions across the federal government. He is a the proud son of immigrants, and his parents continue to inspire a sense of duty and service to this country. Chris Lu is a true class act, and he is never giving up his seat at the table.

"If you can see it, you can be it."

Melissa Newberg has been a lot of things. She's an intelligence leader with over 15 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, and she began her career with the U.S. Air Force as a civilian, later serving as a Defense Fellow in the House of Representatives, before moving into the corporate world. Melissa isn't fearless - she's brave. And she isn't an extrovert - she's an extremely generous introvert. She's seeking and defining her own purpose, and sharing practical advice on translating skills, reaching for new opportunities, and finding mission-driven work outside of government.

Bill Russo is doing well, and doing good. He's deliberately made time and space for both. On his quest to leave the world a little better than he found it, Bill served in Senior roles in the Obama and Biden administrations, contributing to the Biden campaign's successful bid for the White House in 2020, and most recently leading the State Department's Bureau of Global Public Affairs as Assistant Secretary of State. Other experiences include a transformative trip abroad, a near miss with a career as a psychiatrist, and a brief (and unlucrative) stint as a barista.

Bill's commitment to service extends to the way he shows up for his family, friends, and colleagues. He did the work to peel the "burnout onion," finding his way to a new season of life and career, and now he's reflecting on the power of storytelling, the loneliness epidemic, and the magic of a sabbatical.

Josh Black is not just the "UN Guy" - he's a true believer in the art of multilateral diplomacy. His resume is too long and his career too storied to summarize here, but the through-line is his persistent belief in our collective ability (and shared responsibility) to work together as a global community to address the worst crises we face.

In this episode, Josh shares his journey from Toledo, Ohio, to Kosovo, to exhausting nuclear talks in poorly ventilated spaces, to the private sector, and then back to the White House in his dream job as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs on the National Security Council.

If you're genuinely wondering why it's still in the U.S. national interest to engage with the United Nations, look no further. And if you're already a multilat nerd, then listen for a refresher on how we can try to avoid the scourge of war.

Maggie is a self proclaimed "bedazzled cockroach for democracy." She's a unicorn. She's all about connection - connecting skilled people to amazing experiences; connecting those less interested in foreign policy with relevant policy conversations through weirdly effective analogies; and connecting seemingly disparate ideas inside her unique, inspired brain.

Maggie is an advocate for competent diversity in the field of national security and she's happy to talk about what she means by that.

She's fun and real and you honestly never know what she's going to say, so buckle up for a little ride to Costco and leave with the appropriate degree of reverence for first chair clarinet.

Jill is a current public servant with a story to tell. She's sharing her winding path to service, her experiences with truly terrible bosses and wonderful bosses, and her persistent existential dread - a delightfully surprising discovery based on the stark contrast with her sunny disposition, which you can even hear in her voice. Together, Jill and I contemplated the definition of resilience, the gap between our national values and interests, and the possibility that we're in the middle of a great big national adolescence. We're just a couple of Deeply Feeling Kids, sorting through it together.

Farrell has done everything from driving a forklift, to teaching English in Egypt, to advising a four-star General and briefing the future Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to founding his own research agency in Bishkek, to creating and running his own brewery in Belgium. His curiosity has taken him around the world, and he's concluded that an investment in community on any scale is always worthwhile - especially when it can be done over a cold pint. Join us as we reconnect for our first live chat in 19 years and talk about imposter syndrome, math, project management, and pursuit of ikigai. You, too, will want to be friends with Farrell by the end.

Enrique Roig is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the Department of State. He's spent his career learning from human rights defenders around the world, and advocating for freedom and democracy. He brings empathy, curiosity, and an entrepreneurial spirit to everything he does, and I hear he makes a mean paella. Invite him to your potlucks!