After graduating in 2008, Mark Stovell (Political Science and Sociology-Criminology) completed the Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship with the Congressional Hunger Center.
Working with Hunger Free Vermont and Families USA
In the field placement of his fellowship, he worked with Hunger Free Vermont where he priced a low-cost diet at grocery stores and created a toolkit to raise awareness about food costs and changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
He also planned and delivered community-based documentary screenings and led discussions about childhood hunger.
In the policy placement of his fellowship, Mark worked with Families USA where he conducted surveys with state attorneys general offices and credit counselors to gather information on medical debt collection actions and legal protections for consumers.
He also wrote fact sheets and issue briefs designed to educate consumers about medical debt.
Policy Work
In 2010, Mark began working for the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse in New York City. In this capacity, he developed educational tools for policymakers about the impact of health care reform on addiction prevention and treatment and drafted chapters for policy reports on preventing adolescent substance use and improving the addiction treatment system in America.
Helping Agencies Reach Their Goals
Mark is currently with the Council of State Governments Justice Center where he provides technical assistance to 22 agencies that receive federal funding to set up and run programs for individuals leaving corrections.
“What I enjoy most is helping the agencies I work with reach their goals.
“They work with some of the most challenging individuals in the criminal justice system (those who have high mental health and substance use needs and are at highest risk of committing new crimes), so I’m glad I’m able to help them use evidence-based practices to better serve this population.”
He is expecting to earn his Master’s in Public Administration from Baruch College through the City University of New York this May.
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