The Dan Dutko Fellowship Program is a ten month politics, policy and public service fellowship in Washington, D.C. for graduating Tufts University seniors. Dan Dutko was a Washington "insider" and the founder of a successful, bi-partisan consulting firm. He was also a great mentor to young and old alike, and enjoyed nothing more than helping people figure out what they wanted to be when they grew up. After Dan's death in 1999, his wife, Deb Jospin, and Dutko Worldwide created the Dan Dutko Fellowship Program in partnership with the Tufts Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service to honor Dan's special dedication to mentoring young people as they followed their dreams to achieve positive social change.

Since 2000, the Dan Dutko Fellowship Program has established a proud record of success in seeding the next generation of bi-partisan leadership in Washington. Each year, the program connects new, passionate and thoughtful fellows with a wide network of supportive mentors and fellowship alumni. Specifically-tailored placements provide fellows invaluable opportunities to work with and learn from amazing people while earning that essential "first job" experience in Washington. During and after their ten months, fellows are engaged not only in their work but also in strengthening the program and Tufts Tisch College community. Each year the fellows and their placements change, but the fellowship remains a tribute to Dan and his belief in the true purpose of politics: achieving positive social change.

Download the Dutko Fellowship Brochure (3.4MB)

1. To encourage young people to consider careers in public service and to explore political and public policy career options as a means to create positive social change.

2. To support and mentor individuals and to broaden their experience through direct involvement with the legislative and political processes, while developing their knowledge and skills in politics, policy, and public service.


Each year, 1-3 graduating Tufts seniors are chosen for a 10-month paid fellowship. The placement site is "to be determined" based on the applications received and the Fellow selected. The following organizations are examples of past placement sites:

The Democratic Leadership Council/Progressive Policy Institute
American Enterprise Institute
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Republican Governors Association
New America Foundation
The National Partnership for Women and Families
International Senior Lawyers' Project
Global Fairness Initiative
Americans for the Arts
Slate Magazine
Center for American Progress

Although it is not required, applicants can propose specific fellowship opportunities. Those placements may be similar to or the same as past years'; or they may be entirely different. What is most important is that the placement suits the applicant's passion and goals.

The Board of Directors of the Dutko Memorial Foundation and its Board of Advisors, a distinguished, bi-partisan group of elected officials and other civic leaders, will mentor the Fellow. In keeping with Dan Dutko's legacy, the Fellow will be expected, during and following his/her fellowship, to share their experience with other students and to help to strengthen the program in subsequent years. Upon completion of the fellowship, he/she will become a member of a vibrant and active alumni community.


A former missile systems engineer, Dan Dutko got his start in politics as West Texas manager for the 1972 Democratic presidential campaign of then-U.S. Senator George S. McGovern. He served as chief of staff for Senator Donald Stewart, an Alabama Democrat, and Representative Bob Krueger, a Texas Democrat. Mr. Dutko was a founding partner and chairman of The Dutko Group, Inc., a public policy management and lobbying firm based in Washington, D.C. A major Democratic fundraiser and a member of the Democratic National Committee, he held many high-level political positions, including cochairman of Leadership 2000, vice chairman of finance for Clinton-Gore in 1995, and vice chairman of finance for the Democratic National Committee in 1996.

Dan Dutko is remembered by his many friends and associates as a passionate political activist and a world-class mentor to dozens of younger politicians. Dan died on July 27, 1999, from severe head injuries sustained in a mountain biking accident; he was not wearing a helmet. Dan's wife, Deb Jospin, is a 1980 graduate of Tufts, and serves as the chair of the Board of Advocates for the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service. The Fellowship Program perfectly blends Deb and Dan's devotion to public service and mentoring young people, with their love for Tufts.


THE JONATHAN M. TISCH COLLEGE OF CITIZENSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE
Mission:
To provide an education, inside and outside the classroom, that prepares Tufts graduates to be committed public citizens and leaders who take an active role in building stronger communities and societies.

Goals:
To engage a decisive majority of Tufts students in active citizenship.
To engage a strategic representation of Tufts faculty in Education for Active Citizenship.
To develop highly effective approaches to improving conditions in host communities in ways that educate students about active citizenship.
To develop and share knowledge about Education for Active Citizenship.
To engage and develop Tufts alumni as active citizens and mentors.

Board of Directors:
Deborah Jospin, Chair Gary Andres Kim Koontz Bayliss	Mark Irion Ron Kaufman Steve Perry	Arthur Silverman Bobby Watson
Board of Advisors:
Terry Adams Hon. Rich Bond Mary Pat Bonner Hon. Tom Daschle Bill Demarest Alan Fleischmann Lukin Gilliland Janet V. Green Richard Griner Steve Grossman Tom Hendrickson Fran Katz Peter Kelly	Eve Klothen Peter Kelly Eve Klothen Hon. Mary Landrieu Hon. Blanche Lincoln Abbe Lowell Hon. Ed Markey Garry Mauro Terry McAuliffe Mike McNamara David Mercer Scott Pastrick Andy Paul	Carol Pensky Hon. Marc Racicot Bernard Rapopor Denise Rich William Rouhana Alan Solomont Bill Titleman Gerry Tyson Tom Wheeler