Director, Washington Academic
Internship Program, Federal Relations
Dr. Kolson is Director of the Washington Academic Internship Program, as well as leading all federal relations activities for the John Glenn School of Public Affairs.
Dr. Kolson has combined teaching and research with public service in a truly distinctive way. For more than 22 years, he worked at the National Endowment for the Humanities, where he was responsible for the program of NEH Fellowships and for grants awarded in support of scholarly editing, field archaeology, and collaborative research in the humanities and social sciences. In 1992-93, Dr. Kolson was a fellow of the Council for Excellence in Government. Throughout the 1990s, he taught in the honors program at the University of Maryland, College Park. In 1998, Dr. Kolson was a John Adams Fellow at the Institute of United States Studies, University of London. In 2001, Johns Hopkins University Press published his book, Big Plans: The Allure and Folly of Urban Design. In the fall of 2006, he held a Fulbright lectureship at the University of Oulu. Upon his return from Finland, he was detailed to the United States Department of State, where he earned a Meritorious Honor Award “for outstanding performance and initiative in the creation of the U.S. World Heritage Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.” He retired from the federal service in 2007.
Prior to joining the staff of the NEH in 1985, Dr. Kolson taught for 15 years in the political science department at Hiram College, where he developed several off-campus study programs and was co-author of a widely adopted textbook, Public Opinion and Responsible Democracy, published by Prentice-Hall in 1976. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 1972.
Phone: 202-543-6216
Email: Kolson.1@osu.edu
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Program Coordinator
Laura Allen joined the John Glenn School of Public Affairs in the fall of 2008. Prior to her current position as Program Coordinator for the Washington Academic Internship Program, she wrote for Governing magazine in Washington, D.C., a Congressional Quarterly, Inc., publication that covers state and local governments.
Originally from Dublin, Ohio, Laura's previous experience includes interning for the coordinated campaign for Columbus Mayor and City Council, organizing public relations for a radio station, and working as an assistant sales representative for a local homebuilder, Rockford Homes. While attending The Ohio State University, she wrote for The Lantern and did research for the Associated Press. She has volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the YMCA. She is a member of The Society of Professional Journalists and an alumna of the WAIP.
Laura earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from The Ohio State University.
Phone: 202-543-6215
Email: allen.878@osu.edu
Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs
Chris Adams serves as Recruitment and Admissions Coordinator for the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. A spring 2007 JGSPA graduate, Chris returned to work at the Glenn School in January 2008. In his position, Chris coordinates several of the on-campus aspects of the Washington Academic Internship Program, including the recruitment of students. Chris is also in charge of recruitment efforts for all of the graduate programs offered at the Glenn School. Chris is a two-time alumnus of The Ohio State University, graduating with a double major in History and Political Science in 2005, and completing the Glenn School’s master of public administration program in 2007. Prior to serving in his current position at the Glenn School, Chris worked as an academic advisor with the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio State, and has also been an intern with the Ohio Grantmakers forum.
Phone: 614-247-2512
Email: adams.615@osu.edu
Program Assistant
Goldie Mehan is a Graduate Associate for the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. She serves as a program assistant for various John Glenn School Programs, including the Washington Academic Internship Program. Currently pursuing a Master in Public Administration, she hopes to become an advocate for people with disabilities.
Goldie graduated Cum Lade with a Bachelors of Science in Communication Disorders from Brigham Young University in 2007. Before joining the John Glenn School of Public Affairs, she served as the Program Director for Adaptive Aquatics at the BYU Center for Service & Learning. After her experiences at BYU, she completed an 18 month service mission for her church.
Phone: 614-292-4486
Email: mehan.12@osu.edu
