Mr. Terrell Goes to Washington: Penn IUR Undergraduate Fellow Visits DC

Timethius Terrell (C’24), shares his experience traveling to Washington, D.C. for a daylong trip to meet policymakers and urban policy experts as part of the Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership program.

The train ride passed quite quickly, with the bright, rising sun raising my energy along with it.

Our itinerary began with the National League of Cities (NLC), about which I knew very little before this trip. Soon, I learned about the work that the NLC does to encourage collaboration among cities throughout the country, ranging from initiatives focused on sustainability to diversity and inclusion to fundraising. NLC has branches that reach beyond D.C. and brings together scholars from a variety of disciplines.

We transitioned to the Penn Biden Center for lunch, where we were joined by Deputy Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy, Daniel Ricchetti. I was shocked by how quickly he rose through the ranks, despite his relatively young age (~30 years-old). His commitment to national and global collaboration between cities inspired me, and his pathway to this role was an untraditional one.

Olivia Reneau, Legislative Aide to Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), quietly arrived at the table and sat with us. She eventually jumped into the conversation, as someone who has also risen through the ranks at a young age. She described to us the winding path that led her to her current position to Senator Fetterman’s staff, where she now sits. She also told us what it is like to hold her role as a Black woman on Capitol Hill.

Our last guest speaker was Solomon Greene, who is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). I learned that one of his team’s primary goals is to pursue U.S. urban interests abroad, which comes with a unique set of complications and drawbacks.

We wrapped up our official business and headed down the street to dine with a few members of the Penn IUR Board, including Lawrence Parks, co-founder of Forethought Advisors and Melanie Nussdorf, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson. At this lovely dinner, sponsored by Nussdorf, I was reminded of the Board members’ insight into matters of urban affairs.

Our conversation ended our busy day on a high note, as they expressed tremendous hope in our generation’s ability to solve complex urban issues in the U.S. and beyond by focusing on our unique niches. As a psychology major, it was very nice to hear the vital impact that my work could have in improving these cities.

After dinner, a group of us walked through the cherry blossoms near Union Station. We read how the Japanese government had donated these trees (years before World War II). As I watched my Singaporean peer conduct an impromptu photoshoot, I was reminded of D.C.’s importance as a historical city. Usually, I tend to view D.C. as more of an administrative region than as a city. On this trip, I learned that it is, in fact, both: an administrative region and a symbol of national unity and global engagement.

Our train ride back to campus provided time to reflect on our experiences along the way. Our day trip to Washington D.C. led me to see international city collaboration and engagement in a different light. There is still much work to be done, but I am enthusiastic to see what the future holds.