Meet Baruch’s Rising Stars in Government
August 5, 2025
Passionate about public service, three Marxe School alumni have been selected for the competitive Excelsior Service Fellowship, where they’ll help shape policy and lead real-world change across New York State.
The Baruch College graduates will join a group of more than 50 Marxe alumni who have participated in the program since its inception in 2013.
In September, each Excelsior Fellow will embark on two-year, full-time placements with select state agencies, where they’ll work alongside senior staff members and officials on key policy and operational issues. The prestigious program gives fellows a coveted front-row seat to policymaking and public administration—offering career-building opportunities in areas like policy analysis, program implementation, legal research, and community outreach.
In addition to their placements, Excelsior Fellows benefit from a professional development curriculum featuring leadership training, ethics workshops, teambuilding, and networking.
Meet Baruch’s 2025 Fellows
Chinue Foreman: Division of Human Rights, Bureau of Investigations
Chinue Foreman (MPA ’25), who graduated with a concentration in nonprofit leadership, will join the Bureau of Investigations at the New York State Division of Human Rights in the Bronx. For her, earning a spot in the Fellowship program was both surreal and hard-won.
“I was in complete disbelief,” Foreman shared. During the final week of interviews, she faced a series of personal setbacks—including a building fire, a sports injury, a sick pet, and more.
“Every time I advanced, I kept thinking, ‘Wait, this is real?’”, she recounted. “I am immensely grateful for this opportunity and to be able to be confronted with a reality that opposes the narrative devised by imposter syndrome.”
Raised in Atlanta, Foreman said she benefited from good schools, great healthcare, and safe living conditions, while her parents had to overcome challenges such as desegregated schooling and economic inequity during their childhood. Foreman applied for this Fellowship to support policies so more people have access to similar circumstances she fortunately had growing up.
“I believe that while nonprofits are a net positive, we need policies and laws in place to systemically change people’s material conditions,” Foreman says. “This program would offer me the opportunity to launch me into the public sector to affect systemic change!”
Jake Iaccino: Department of Public Service, Office of Markets and Innovation
Jake Iaccino (MPA ’25) was assigned to the Department of Public Service working for the Office of Markets and Innovation division on Long Island.
Iaccino characterizes himself as someone with a profound commitment to selfless public service and a deep belief in prioritizing the needs of others.
“This program offers a meaningful opportunity to build on my professional and academic experience, while also challenging me to grow to the next level,” he explains.
Known for his passion for service, Iaccino describes public service not as a temporary stop—but as a calling. “I am not interested in public service as a stepping stone; this is the path I have chosen because I believe in it.
“As someone who comes from a working-class family with deep roots in New York, public service has always felt personal. I believe that government should be a force for good, that it should protect the vulnerable, provide opportunity, and be held accountable to the people.”
During this Fellowship, Iaccino is looking forward to working with people who care deeply about service, policy, and impact, and learning from those who have been doing this work with purpose and integrity.
He is seeking to take on roles where he can help shape policy, improve systems, and uplift communities through thoughtful, equitable, and evidence-based solutions.
“I want to step outside of my comfort zone, take on complex issues, and figure out how I can help move things forward for the people of New York,” Iaccino states. “I will work to affirm the State’s motto, Excelsior, everyday.”
Gabrielle Lozano: Department of Transportation’s Office of Human Resources, Administrative Services Division
Gabrielle Lozano (MPA ‘24) has been named an Excelsior Service Fellow and will join the New York State Department of Transportation’s Office of Human Resources this fall.
Born and raised in Harlem, Gabrielle has spent nearly a decade working in education; primarily as a college and career advisor. “I supported high school students as they navigated their post-secondary options,” she explains. “But over time, it became clear that the biggest barriers they faced extended far beyond the classroom.”
Food insecurity and housing instability were just some of the systemic issues her students encountered—issues that ultimately shaped Lozano’s decision to pursue her MPA. “I wanted the next chapter of my work to contribute to solutions that serve not just individuals, but entire communities,” she says.
Gabrielle was drawn to the Excelsior Fellowship for its mission, and for the way alumni described the experience—as both challenging and deeply supportive. “It represented a rare and timely opportunity to step outside of my previous professional lane and into the kind of cross-sector impact I aspire to make.”
Through her placement at the Department of Transportation, Gabrielle will support workforce planning initiatives, contribute to organizational redesign, and assist with targeted recruitment strategies. “These responsibilities will help me build the foundational skills necessary to achieve my long-term goal of leading my own organization—one that delivers meaningful public services within my community.”
Reflecting on her time at Baruch, Gabrielle credits the Marxe School with helping her transition from direct student services into broader policy and systems work. “Baruch gave me the language, tools, and confidence to think big about the kind of impact I want to have,” she says. “To future students: don’t be afraid to pivot. The skills you build here can take you far beyond what you originally imagined.”
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