The Charles P. Wolff Internship
The Charles P. Wolff Internship
The Charles P. Wolff Internship in Government and Public Affairs was established in 2005 thanks to a generous gift from Sheryl Pitts Wolff in memory of her husband. The intern spends 12 months working with IGPA staff on a variety of projects, including communications activities, organizing events, researching potential award recipients, and some public policy research.
About the Internship
2020-2021 Intern - Ali Mirza
Intern Honor Roll
About Charles P. Wolff
The Wolff intern is chosen from a very competitive field of applicants from the University of Illinois, usually 2-3 dozen strong, each year. Applicants come from all fields of study - engineering, agribusiness, journalism, history, political science and others. Each intern plays a key role in determining their successor by preparing the advertising for the position, reviewing application materials, participating in interviews, and consulting with IGPA leadership in making the final choice.
The internship is paid, begins each June and continues through the following academic year. The internship is built around four "modules" that are designed to expose the intern to a variety of activities that occur within a busy public-policy research institute. These modules include general office duties, public engagement logistics and execution, research, and exposure to the public policy conversation in Illinois. There are opportunities for the intern to participate fully in IGPA activities, including events in Chicago, Springfield and/or Washington, DC. The Wolff intern is treated as is any other member of the IGPA staff. We expect that the intern will perform tasks as assigned and complete them within the assigned timeframe; we expect promptness and a professional attitude; and, most importantly, we expect the intern to have a fun and rewarding experience. Our pledge is to do all we can to ensure that is so.
Ali Mirza is a senior majoring in political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. On campus, he serves as the student trustee on the University's Board of Trustees and has worked as a research assistant, residential advisor and chief of staff for the campus student government. In the greater Urbana-Champaign community, Ali has volunteered at an immigration and refugee center where he assisted in the filing of I-589 forms. Ali plans to pursue law school upon obtaining his bachelor's degree in the spring of 2021.
Wolff interns go on to do great things in their lives and we do our best to keep up with them. Below is the roster of previous interns and their current position. Included in this list are a Rhodes scholar and two former White House interns.
Adem Osmani -- 2019-2020 -- Continuing studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Megan Manoj -- 2018-2019 -- Preparing for law school
Thomas Dowling -- 2017-2018 -- Entrepreneur, co-founder of tech startup TaxProper.com
Samantha Bolet – 2016-2017 -- Cyber Strategy and Governance Consultant, Risk Advisory, KPMG, Chicago
Mitch Dickey – 2015-2016 – Advocacy Coordinator, Illinois Connection, Office of Government Relations, University of Illinois System, Chicago
Ryan Fane – 2014-2015 – Assistant Director for College Events, College Programming and Outreach, University of Chicago
Neha Nigam – 2013-2014 – Attorney, Winston & Strawn LLP, Chicago
Emily Blumenthal – 2012-2013 – Global Strategic Planning Manager, Nike, Chicago
Tim Knudsen – 2011-2012 – Attorney and Partner, Croke Fairchild Morgan & Beres, Chicago
Laura Miller – 2010-2011 -- Mobilization Director, WhenWeAllVote.org, Harvard Ash Center Fellow, Washington, DC
Drew Bazil – 2009-2010 – Foreign Service Officer, U.S. State Department
Lally Gartel – 2007-2009 – Attorney, Benesch Law, Chicago
Jacqueline Orozco – 2006-2007 – Anchor/Reporter, WSYX/WTTE-TV, Columbus, OH
Jon Monteith – 2005-2006 -- Community and Outreach Coordinator, Resilience Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Charles P. "Chas" Wolff was a 1970 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who dedicated his career to public service. He spent six years as an assistant to Senator Adlai Stevenson III. He also advised Senators Bill Bradley, D-NJ, and Robert Kerry, D-NE, and was an adviser to Vice President Walter Mondale and to Democratic presidential candidate Bruce Babbitt in his campaign for the 1988 Democratic nomination for president.
Wolff also served as Special Assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs in the U.S. Department of Commerce and was president and chief operating officer of the Roosevelt Center for American Policy Studies in Chicago.
He was elected to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees in 1986 and became its president in 1989. He served as Board president until his death from cancer in 1991.