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Pedagogy & Practice – Thriving in Common Good Vocations Thursday, June 4th at 3 PM ET While much of SHECP’s focus is on the undergraduate experience, this work does not end with an internship, a capstone project or even with graduation. If we aim to send students out into every possible vocation and encourage them to explore a lifetime of change-making and pursuit of the civic good, we must also consider what they will need to sustain their efforts long-term and how we can us

Keynote Address – Dr. Kelly Hamshaw "Building Resilience in Rural Places" Wednesday, June 3rd at 12:00 PM ET On June 3rd, Dr. Kelly Hamshaw will present her keynote address entitled "Building Resilience in Rural Places: Insights from Vermont's Flood-Impacted Manufactured Housing Communities." Dr. Hamshaw is a Senior Lecturer and Research Specialist at the University of Vermont Center for Rural Studies. Her teaching focuses on how communities can become more sustainable and re

Powerful Mentors & Mindsets On this episode of SHECP Talks, Jen is joined by two SHECP alumnae – Kelsey Stapler (Birmingham-Southern College) and Leela Addepalli (Washington and Lee University). In 2017, Kelsey was a SHECP Intern with Legal Aid in Charleston, WV. After law school, she returned to Charleston to work as public defender for Kanawha County Public Defenders Services. In 2024, Leela spent her SHECP summer with Kelsey as her supervisor and mentor at the public defe

Five returning SHECP interns will spend the summer in Washington, D.C., deepening their experience in anti-poverty policy and nonprofit leadership. The Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP) is pleased to announce the 2026 Policy & Nonprofit Leadership (PNPL) cohort. Reserved for students who have already completed a prior SHECP summer internship, PNPL gives returning interns the opportunity to build on direct service experience by exploring nonprofit managem

The Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) has awarded SHECP a grant to explore what students need to adapt to and thrive in vocations in high-burnout, civic-impact careers. For almost three decades, students within the Shepherd Consortium have been exploring the causes and consequences of poverty and inequality and questioning how they might integrate anti-poverty action in their post-graduate vocations and civic lives. These students have gone on to pursue

On this episode of SHECP Talks , Emily Scaff , a student at Washington and Lee University , is joined by Jim Kvach , a farmer and engaged community member in Lexington, VA. Emily is pursuing a degree in Journalism with minors in Poverty and Human Capabilities Studies and Law, Justice, and Society. She is a member of W&L’s Campus Kitchen Leadership Team, a group that works to address food insecurity in the area. Jim Kvach is a local farmer, Master Gardener, and board member o

We are now accepting applications for SHECP's Post Undergraduate Fellowship! Dora Kreitzer, SHECP's 2025 Post Undergraduate Fellow, at the Annual Conference with SHECP Staff SHECP is looking for a Post Undergraduate Fellow to collaborate with our team, support the mission of SHECP, and interact with partners and the community. The Fellow will have the opportunity to work on a range of projects — from virtual events to communications to project management — but the exact scope

In a February 2026 SHECP Springboard event, leaders working at the intersection of food access and agriculture discussed how communities balance immediate hunger relief with the broader systems that shape food security and, specifically, how different organizations are leveraging their local networks and opportunities to integrate the farming community and its products into their efforts to address food access barriers. Access the event recording here >> The conversation fea

Maureen McNamara Best , Executive Director of the Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP), joined Zach Zook , Chief Strategy Officer for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, for a SHECP Springboard event on February 17th. The discussion, moderated by Professor Ryan McCoy , explored the ways in which different organizations across the country are leveraging their local networks and opportunities to integrate farming into their efforts to address food access barriers. Al

Thank you for your interest in SHECP’s 2026 Policy & Nonprofit Leadership (PNPL) Internship ! This internship program offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to gain experience in public policy and nonprofit leadership while addressing issues of poverty in communities. Students will bring their experiences and perspectives — gained from coursework and working with clients at community partners engaged in anti-poverty work — to understanding the challenges of le

On this episode of SHECP Talks , we are joined by two 2015 SHECP Interns — Kelsey Dowling and Samuel Hudson . Kelsey, a 2017 graduate of University Lynchburg , interned with Tenacity Inc. , a Boston-based nonprofit that uses tennis to teach reading and life skills to youth from preschool through high school. Samuel, a 2017 graduate of Virginia Military Institute , spent his summer working with Code/Interactive , a New York City nonprofit that places high school students in co

The Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP) is pleased to announce that Jen Handy has been named as Executive Director . Jen steps into this role after serving as SHECP’s Associate Director and, most recently, Interim Executive Director. Since joining the team in 2021, she has expanded SHECP’s programming, including multiple virtual event series and the Policy and Nonprofit Leadership Internship, strengthened organizational systems, and deepened engagement wit

Upcoming Springboard event series to be co-hosted by Bucknell University and Washington and Lee University Join us in early 2026 for a series of virtual events exploring how community organizations are integrating food production into their strategies to combat food insecurity . The series will feature leaders from innovative programs working at the intersection of food, justice, and community resilience. The event series is co-hosted by Bucknell University and Washington and

By Emelia Richey (2024 SHECP Intern) On October 10, 2025, SHECP hosted Dr. Jonathan Eastwood, Professor of Sociology at Washington and Lee University , and Dr. Howard Pickett, Professor of Ethics and Poverty Studies at Washington and Lee University , for a Pedagogy & Practice event focused on Eastwood’s new book, S ocial Structure: Relationships, Representations, and Rules . During the Fall 2020 semester, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Eastwood began recording video

SHECP is hiring a part-time Administrative Assistant to collaborate with our team, support the mission of SHECP, and represent its values when interacting with partners and the community. This position is a key link in supporting the efficient and smooth day-to-day operations of the organization. This individual will be part of a remote team, but some job responsibilities will require them to be in Lexington, VA on a semi-regular basis. The part-time administrative assistant

Earlier this year, the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality published an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey , that illustrated how the new work requirements in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) are poised to have a disproportionate effect on women , and, therefore, have possible long-term health, education, and future earnings impacts for children in those impacted households. In October, Lelaine Bigelow , Executive Director o

By Daphne Nwobike , 2025 SHECP Intern with Miriam's Kitchen My summer at Miriam’s Kitchen was remarkable and eye-opening. For two months, I worked with D.C.’s unhoused community in ways I never anticipated. Before my internship, I had never heard of Miriam’s Kitchen or paid much attention to D.C.’s housing crisis. My perception of the city was limited to its tourist attractions, political significance, and endless social activities. All I did was take from the city, unperturb

The Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP) is excited to welcome four new leaders to our governance team. This fall, Victoria Brown and Christa Moore joined the SHECP Governing Board , and Mary Wilson Grist and David Marchese joined the SHECP Council as at-large members. Each brings valuable experience, insight, and dedication to advancing SHECP’s mission of preparing students and institutions to address poverty with knowledge and compassion. Their perspectiv

By Annabelle Sutliff , 2025 SHECP Intern with the Tharros Place On the 8-hour drive from Virginia to Savannah, Georgia, I remember my head circling with ideas about what the summer would look like. I was driving to Tharros Place, a non-profit that both provides care for teenage girls that have survived human trafficking, while also educating the Chatham County community about child sex trafficking. It’s a young organization, but has already supported many girls throughout the

Sewanne students participated in Summer 2025 internships, and the school officially joined SHECP in September. The Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP) is excited to announce that the University of the South (Sewanee) is the newest member institution of the consortium . As a member, Sewanee will participate in year-round programming and help guide the priorities and planning of the Consortium to advance Poverty Studies. Established in 1857, Sewanee compris