SPAA PhD Student Tomás Soto-Jara Selected as 2026 ASPA Founders' Fellow

SPAA PhD student Tomás Soto-Jara has been selected as an American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Founders' Fellow as part of the Class of 2026. This flagship program recognizes the exceptional accomplishments and potential of the next generation of public servants in both academic and practitioner communities. The full list of 2026 Fellows can be found on ASPA's website.

Soto-Jara is a Fulbright BIO Scholar from Chile, holding a master’s degree in management and public policies and a degree in industrial engineering from the University of Chile. His career has focused on evaluating the implementation of public policies, public management, and studying the effects of telework in the public sector in Chile. In addition, he has taught courses on public policies, innovation, and engineering. Soto-Jara has coordinated various research projects in collaboration with international organizations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), focused on public sector modernization and telework initiatives.