Andrew Furman

Andrew Furman

Degree: 2025, MPA

Job Title: William & Hannah Penn Fellow, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Policy Office

Andrew Furman (MPA, '25) received his bachelor’s degree from Elizabethtown College before attending the University of Delaware (UD). While earning his Master of Public Administration at UD, Andrew served as a Public Administration Fellow at the Institute for Public Administration (IPA). During his time there, Andrew spent two years working directly with the Grant Assistance Program (GAP), providing free technical assistance to local governments pursuing competitive formula grant opportunities.

In 2024, Andrew interned with the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation in New York. Before IPA, Andrew spent a year working for a government relations firm in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Currently, he works as a William & Hannah Penn Fellow for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Policy Office (DEP), focusing on policies related to PFAS and other emerging contaminants. This role ensures that the department’s work aligns with the priorities of the Secretary and the Governor. Through contextualizing all classroom material in real-world deliverables, IPA thoroughly prepared Andrew for a career in public service. Many of his public administration courses helped to inform his current approach to policy crafting at DEP. Andrew credits IPA staff, faculty, and its student-centered programs and opportunities for providing him with the critical tools needed to thrive in his current role, where he utilizes lessons learned both inside the classroom and through fellowship experiences. He is grateful for the mentorship provided by IPA leaders, including Kathy Murphy, who offered him advice when he began running several agency-wide task forces. Andrew is also thankful to still speak with Chase Barnes and Collin Willard from GAP every week, two staff members who he believes continue to be a great support system for him, even after he left the GAP Program. All in all, Andrew has expressed immense gratitude for everything IPA has done for him and continues to do even outside of UD.