Quinnipiac University Presidential Public Service Fellows

Press release

Quinnipiac University Presidential Public Service Fellows spending summer learning how municipal government works in Hamden, North Haven

HAMDEN, Connecticut – July 7, 2025 – Nine Quinnipiac University students are spending the summer getting a first-hand look at how municipal government works while serving the community.

The students are part of Quinnipiac’s Presidential Public Service Fellowship Program, an initiative now in its 22nd year of partnership with Hamden and North Haven.

The fellowship places outstanding Quinnipiac student leaders into municipal departments for paid full-time public service in the two towns. Students in the Fellowship leverage their know-how for advancing projects defined by the community, and which leave an enduring benefit to the towns.

The fellowship is a partnership with the office of Quinnipiac President Judy Olian and Quinnipiac’s host town governments. It is supported by a financial donor trust established by Hank Bartels and Nancy Bartels in 2003. Since the start of the program in 2003, over 150 students have served as Public Service Fellows, which represents nearly 50,000 hours of service in the community.

The fellows are: Elizabeth Connelly (Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, Hamden Planning & Zoning), Cristina Egas (Middlebury, Connecticut, Hamden Mayor's Office), Fae Hull (Torrington, Connecticut, Hamden Town Engineer), Serene Hicks (Hackensack, New Jersey, Hamden Police Department), Christian Knight (Windsor Locks, Connecticut, Hamden Town Clerk), Bharath Reddy Kondam (Siddipet, India, North Haven Information Technology), Anthony Siteman (Walpole, Massachusetts, Hamden Economic Development), Cara St. John (Plantsville, Connecticut, Hamden Mayor's Office), Noah Sussal (Cheshire, Connecticut, Hamden Economic Development).

The fellowship program was launched in 2003 and is directed by Scott McLean, professor of political science.

“We often hear that young people are turned off by public service,” McLean said. “But what I have seen is how young people are hungry for meaningful action, and their experiences in leadership make them confident in their ability to improve life in our communities.”