Spring 2025 Edition

CPS Newsletter - Spring 2025 Edition

Message from the Director - Designing with Purpose - Advancing Community-Based Learning in Japan - Legal Innovation and Cultural Exchange - Clearing the Clutter - Public Service Fellowships Projects - Congratulating Class of 2025

Message from the Director

Dear Friends at the Center for Public Service (CPS),

As we conclude a productive spring quarter, I'm delighted to share a few highlights from our collective work. I wish to start by expressing my sincere gratitude to everyone who helped us get the word out in April for PSU’s Spring Day of Giving, and to everyone who contributed to our campaign. We exceeded our goal and unlocked the director’s match!

This year, we had the privilege of hosting visiting scholars from the Seoul Metropolitan Government in South Korea and the Supreme Court of Japan. We celebrated the completion of their individual research projects, with presentations on May 28th by Yonghee Han on AI and Big Data, Yubin Kim on Urban Cultural Policy & Museum Management, and Ken Hyodo on Online Warrant Systems in Criminal Justice.

Our professional certificate and non-credit training programs continue to thrive, with the Professional Certificate in Tribal Relations cohort attending the ATNI 2025 Mid-Year Convention, and the Executive Seminar in Natural Resources Leadership Professional Certificate Program conducting its third case study in Arizona. We also celebrated the graduation of 13 students from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District Leadership Development Program and 25 participants from the Nonprofit Institute Program Evaluation Professional Certificate Program.

The Public Service Fellowships program is in full swing, with our matching process for the 2025-26 Talent Bank now live! We currently have 35 candidates for the Hatfield Resident Fellows program and 25 candidates for the Oregon Summer Fellows program. We are actively seeking additional sponsors to help us place these talented individuals in meaningful projects. These fellows provide crucial capacity to agencies and offer valuable expertise in areas like research, policy analysis, and community engagement.

Looking ahead, we are excited about the upcoming Oregon City County Managers Association Summer Conference in July, and hope to see our city and county colleagues there! As always, we appreciate your continued support and collaboration in strengthening public service institutions and democratic governance.

With gratitude,

Sara Saltzberg

Designing with Purpose: Reflections from a CPS Student Graphic Designer

My name is Mae Cossu, and I joined the CPS team shortly after transferring to Portland State University from Mt. Hood Community College to complete my Bachelor's in Fine Arts (Graphic Design). When I joined the team, I only had two years of design experience under my belt, while now I have five. During that time, and from graduating from Junior to Senior Student Graphic Designer, CPS has provided me with loads of invaluable experience and support. From the most basic website and print edits to more open-ended promotions and celebrations, each request that comes through has given me great realworld challenges and understandings that are very valuable resources as a student. Some of my favorite projects have been the 2023 CUPSO Poster, the 2023 CPS Day of Service t-shirt designs, and three years of Lunar New Year designs. Not only have I been able to express creativity at this job, I have also had the pleasure of working with many talented people working in diverse fields. Supporting the work that CPS and its adjacent organisations provide is something I am extremely enthusiastic and grateful for!

Advancing Community-Based Learning in Japan: Senior Fellow Nariyo Kono Leads Faculty Workshops

In March, CPS Senior Fellow Nariyo Kono represented our center in Japan, co-organizing and leading a series of impactful workshops for educators passionate about community-based learning. These workshops, hosted at Reitaku University in Chiba and Ritsumeikan University in Osaka, brought together faculty members from many institutions who committed to integrating community engagement more meaningfully into their teaching practice.

The workshops began with faculty retreats co-facilitated by Nariyo and Celine Fitzmaurice of University Studies, Portland State University. These sessions were designed to foster connection, trust, and relational grounding among participants. The sessions aimed at building a strong foundation for collaborative learning and educational practices

As part of the workshops, Nariyo also led a pilot study for an international collaborative research project focused on the role of reflection of instructors in the community-engaged learning context in Japan. The study was developed in close collaboration with three Japanese researchers and explored a variety of reflective strategies aimed at supporting instructors in making sense of their community-based teaching. Importantly, the work centered on identifying and co-developing culturally appropriate reflective methods, ensuring that the practices resonate with and support Japanese educators in their unique contexts.

Learn more about Nariyo’s work

Legal Innovation and Cultural Exchange: Ken Hyodo's Research as a CPS Visiting Scholar

Since 2015, the Center for Public Service has hosted unique year-long research programs for judicial officials selected by the Supreme Court of Japan. Oregon remains the only U.S. state to participate in this prestigious program, offering CPS an ongoing opportunity to support international collaboration in public service and judicial reform.
This year, CPS welcomed Ken Hyodo, a court staff member currently researching the implementation of online warrant systems in criminal justice, particularly looking at how the United States has developed electronic warrant platforms and how these innovations can inform reform efforts in Japan. According to Ken, "Japan is currently undergoing legal reforms to digitize warrant procedures, and believes studying the U.S. model —especially its successes and challenges—can provide practical and policy-level insights.”
Ken’s research explores U.S. state-level practices such as Oregon’s warrant duty system, recent legislative shifts in Japan, and the potential for harmonizing these frameworks through thoughtful design and cross-agency coordination. His findings aim to support policy recommendations that improve judicial responsiveness, promote cost-effectiveness, and contribute to broader labor and gender equity reforms within Japan’s public sector.
On a personal note, Ken found Portland to be inspiring and was struck by the openness and collegiality of the local legal community. He especially appreciated the city’s natural beauty—walking along the waterfront quickly became one of his favorite pastimes. What stood out most, he shared, was the casual pace and friendliness of the people, a refreshing contrast to the more formal atmosphere back home.

Leadership and Conservation in Action: ESP’s Case Study on Mexican Wolf Recovery

The Executive Seminar in Natural Resources Leadership (ESP) is a case-study-based professional program offered by CPS, which helps mid-career natural resource leaders explore and expand their leadership competencies and establish pathways for career-long leadership learning and development.
The 2024–25 cohort is exploring four core case studies over the course of the year:

Case 1: Managing Fire Risk on Oregon’s Mt. Hood: New Science, Old Ways, and Engaged Communities
Case 2: Restructuring the Power of Decision Making: Implementing Metro’s Parks and Nature Bond
Case 3: Mexican Wolf Recovery: Innovation, Partnership, and Acceptance in the Southwest
Capstone Session

As part of Case Study 3, the 2024–25 cohort traveled to Pinetop, Arizona from May 19–23, where they examined the ongoing recovery efforts of the Mexican wolf. This immersive field experience brought participants into direct dialogue with the ecological, political, and community dimensions of conservation work in the Southwest.
Throughout the week, the cohort engaged with a diverse group of speakers and stakeholders, including representatives from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the Eastern Arizona Counties Organization, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Defenders of Wildlife, and more. These conversations provided critical insight into the multifaceted efforts surrounding Mexican wolf recovery.
A highlight of the trip was a 200-mile journey through the region, during which participants visited an abandoned wolf den, practiced field techniques used by Arizona Game and Fish staff, and connected with local community members whose perspectives are instrumental.
In addition to fieldwork, the week included in-depth sessions on leadership development, facilitated by CPS’s Research Assistant Professor, Dr. Paul Manson. These sessions encouraged participants to reflect on and apply key leadership principles throughout the case study experience.
The cohort will reconvene one final time on June 17 for Capstone Day. This culminating session will review the core concepts explored across all three case studies and challenge participants to apply their learning to their individual professional contexts. The day will also feature a guest speaker from the program’s Advisory Board and conclude with the presentation of completion certificates.

Learn more about the program

Clearing the Clutter: CES Port of Portland Spring Cleanup Event

Twice a year, Portland International Airport’s Waste Minimization Team hosts a cleanup event with support from Community Environmental Services
(CES). This free event helps airport stores, restaurants, and other service providers get rid of unwanted items—from desks and office chairs to holiday decorations and kitchenware. While some items are thrown away, anything that can be reused is available for airport employees to take home (like a free garage sale!). At the end of the day, PDX’s donation partners collect items that can be recycled or reused. This event helps free-up storage space for tenants and ensure that unwanted items with reuse potential aren’t sent to the landfill.
This year, concessionaires (stores and restaurants) accounted for 41.7 percent of participants, with an additional 25 percent being airport servicers, 20.8 percent being airlines, and 12.5 percent being various Port of Portland departments. The event lasted from 8am-2pm, with the busiest drop-off period being 12-1pm. Among the most popular items were concert t-shirts from 2019—by the end of the day, all of them (several boxes’ worth) were gone!

Call for Projects for 2025 Public Service Fellowship

Portland State University’s Center for Public Service has recruited a new cohort of exceptionally qualified, trained, and diverse fellows from top universities across the U.S. These fellows will serve as project managers for Oregon’s public sector in 2025–26. Fellows bring valuable skills to help organizations complete critical work—especially where staffing capacity is limited. They’re equipped to support efforts in research and analysis, community engagement, program evaluation, and more. We are now seeking projects with summer 2025 start dates. Explore our talent bank below and get to know this year’s candidates.

For questions or to discuss a potential project, please contact us at psfellows@pdx.edu

Contact Us

Celebrating the Class of 2025 CPS Student Staff Members

We are incredibly proud of our CPS student staff who graduated this year: Mae Cossu, BFA in Graphic Design (Winter 2025)

Hafsa Shahzad, Master of Public Administration: Health Administration (Winter 2025)
Allison Kirkpatrick, Master of Urban & Regional Planning (Spring 2025)
Marilyn Maldonado, Master of Public Policy (Spring 2025)

Portland State University is proud to celebrate the Class of 2025 with 10 commencement ceremonies this June, all held in the Viking Pavilion.

For Details