NAPA's 2026 Academy Fellows: What the New Class Means for Public Administration

The National Academy of Public Administration announced its 2026 class of Academy Fellows on September 25: 64 new Fellows approved by the Academy Board, with induction set for November 8 to 10 at the National Academy of Sciences building. The group draws from federal, state, local, academic, and nonprofit organizations, with expertise concentrated in agency leadership, acquisition, emergency management, and public finance.

NAPA Fellowship is earned through nomination and election by current Fellows, not by application. For public administrators, that peer filter matters more than the headline count. It signals which skill sets and career paths the profession's leadership considers durable in 2026, a practical reference point for hiring, advisory, and reform work.

The NAPA 2026 Class of Academy Fellows at a Glance

The 2026 NAPA class includes 64 new Academy Fellows, approved by the Academy Board on September 25, 2026. Their induction takes place November 8 to 10, 2026, during the NAPA National Conference at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, DC.

What NAPA Is

NAPA, established in 1967 and congressionally chartered in 1984, helps leaders create more effective, efficient, transparent, and accountable government. Its congressional charter tasks it with evaluating government structures and operations, identifying significant governance problems, and advising on federal, state, regional, and local relationships. The Academy reports more than 1,000 current Fellows, though some official pages describe the total as nearly 1,000. Members include former cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators, scholars, and executives from nonprofit and business sectors, reflecting cross-sector leadership.

What a Fellow Is

A Fellow is an elected member of the Academy recognized for distinguished contributions to public administration and policy. Fellows contribute to the Academy's work through independent studies, advisory services, congressional testimony, and public forums. The 64 new Fellows join a network whose expertise shapes practice across all levels of government. For the complete 2026 class, consult NAPA's official roster rather than a reproduced list here.

Who Was Named: Notable 2026 Fellows and Their Backgrounds

Prestige tells only part of the story. For working public administrators, the more useful signal is the range of roles NAPA chose to recognize, and the absence of a single profile. A career in federal civil service differs sharply from academic administration or nonprofit evaluation, yet all appear in the same class.

The official NAPA 2026 class list confirms all names in this section. One sourcing note: Ann Cotten's election is confirmed by University of Baltimore coverage, while the other six appear directly on NAPA's 2026 Fellow profile page; that page may omit Cotten.

Federal and technology leadership

• Allison Lerner: Inspector General, National Science Foundation.
• David Shive: Vice Chair and Chief Information Officer, U.S. Executive Office of the President and U.S. General Services Administration.

Academic, nonprofit, and governance leadership

• Ann Cotten: Executive Director, University of Baltimore.
• Alyssa Ayres: Dean and Professor, George Washington University.
• Alka Sapat: Director (Chair), Florida Atlantic University.
• Amy Liu: Acting CEO and Board Member, Equal Measure.
• Ann Veneman: Board Member, Sun World, Clinton Health Access Initiative, and other organizations.

This cross-section is not exhaustive, but it shows the Academy is not rewarding one narrow track. Federal oversight, technology policy leadership, academic administration, nonprofit strategy, and board governance all appear. For the complete 2026 class, consult NAPA's official Fellows roster.

Demographics and Geographic Representation in the 2026 Class

Where do the 2026 NAPA Academy Fellows come from, and how geographically representative is the class?

What NAPA Publishes

NAPA's announcement and 2026 Fellow profiles list each Fellow's name, title, organization, and location. The Academy does not publish gender, race, or age breakdowns for the class. The Academy's class page does not summarize geography or diversity, so readers must work from individual Fellow entries. That means any demographic analysis beyond geography and affiliation is not possible from official sources, and diversity in public administration cannot be assessed from the roster alone.

The Geography We Can See

The visible roster shows representation in at least 16 states plus the District of Columbia, including North Carolina, Virginia, Utah, Oregon, California, Mississippi, Maryland, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Texas, Ohio, Connecticut, Colorado, and New York. The Washington, D.C. area is a visible anchor: several Fellows hold roles in Virginia and the District of Columbia, reflecting federal, association, and university employers concentrated in the capital region.

Takeaways

• The class is national, not simply a D.C. honor; visible affiliations stretch across the South, West, and Northeast.
• Because NAPA has not released an official state-by-state tally, top-state rankings and exact gaps cannot be verified.
• States and regions with no representation cannot be conclusively identified from the partially published roster.

What Skills the Academy Is Recognizing: Expertise and Agency Backgrounds

Frontline agency leaders and independent watchdogs may operate from different vantage points, but the 2026 Academy class shows the profession values both.

The 2026 Fellows cluster around four recognizable backgrounds.

• Agency leadership: career executives who managed federal, state, or local programs, reflecting the Academy's emphasis on operational competence.
• Oversight and inspector general work: Fellows with IG, audit, and accountability roles signal that independent review is a core public administration career skill.
• Academic scholarship: public policy and administration faculty bring research and teaching authority, reinforcing evidence-based practice.
• Policy and nonprofit leadership: leaders from institutes and mission-driven organizations show the Academy's reach beyond government.

These clusters are not separate tracks. Agency executives are expected to understand oversight, and scholars often advise agencies on implementation. What the Academy appears to value is the ability to translate specialized knowledge into institutional improvement, whether that means running a program, auditing a system, teaching the next cohort, or convening partners across sectors. Each cluster points to skills NAPA would highlight for public administration career progression: executive judgment, integrity, analytical depth, and coalition building. Together they suggest the Academy is not selecting for a single résumé type, but for a mix of inside-government experience and outside expertise that can strengthen public institutions.

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How NAPA Fellows Are Nominated and Elected

NAPA fellowship is an elected peer honor, not a public administration certificate earned by checking boxes. The path is nomination-based, and it weighs contributions to public administration rather than formal prerequisites.

Nomination and initial requirements

NAPA's 2026 process allows a nominator to put forward up to five individuals, and each nomination must be seconded by two current Fellows. NAPA's announcement uses "you" for nominators, but the published materials do not state explicitly whether nominators must also be Fellows or can be from the broader public. The same materials do not specify a standard package beyond the nomination and seconders; they do list priority expertise areas for 2026: AI integration, the future of the public service, state and local government leadership, agile government, and climate adaptation. The 2026 cycle closed April 30.

Review and vote

The Academy Board Chair selects a Nominating Committee, which reviews candidates. NAPA describes this as a rigorous review of candidates' contributions to public administration and policy. The committee's recommendations then go to the full Fellowship, and each nominee is voted on by the Fellowship.

Nominee vs. elected Fellow

Being nominated does not make someone a Fellow. A nominee is put forward and reviewed; only those who receive Fellowship approval become elected Fellows and join the 2026 class. NAPA does not publicly specify a fixed set of minimum qualifications beyond the contribution-based review and the 2026 priority areas.