Saif Tarek, Ph.D. Candidate in Public Administrtaion and Public Affairs
I am a legally trained public administration scholar. My work sits at the intersection of public administration, democratic governance, and human rights. My work as a scholar and practitioner aims to support public institutions and political participation, and to uphold democratic values. I work to bridge the gap between academia and real-world experience.
Research interests include democratic governance and institutions, public administrative law, public management, civic engagement, presidential rhetoric, public service motivation, public interest technology, frontline public service delivery, and election administration.
Academic Qualifications
PhD in Public Administrtaion and Public Affairs (Expected 2026)
Masters in International Policy and Development
Bachelor's in Law (LL.B.)
Professional Experience
Policy & Legal Scholar
The Research spans several interconnected areas of public administration, integrating presidential communication theory, public service motivation, and institutional theory to explain federal workforce dynamics under democratic governance. Additional work examines youth voter turnout trends from 2018 to 2024, the role of focusing events in the 2024 presidential election, frontline workers across levels of government, and public interest technology as a lever for improving public service delivery.
Instructor
The teaching experience includes public administration and policy at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The courses equip students to think critically about governance challenges and engage meaningfully with diverse perspectives. Passionate about connecting theory to practice and creating classroom environments where intellectual curiosity thrives.
Social Entrepreneur
Co-founded and led Teens Club for Development from the ground up into Egypt's largest youth network, reaching over 40,000 members across the country. Directed twelve programs spanning youth empowerment, education, and social development, managing multi-million-dollar budgets and maintaining strategic partnerships with 35 public and international organizations, including the British Council, UN Women, the Anna Lindh Foundation, and the EU. Built and led a team of 30+ employees and consultants, secured competitive government and private funding through grant writing, and translated broad policy goals into programs with measurable community impact.
Technical Consultant for Policymaking and Advocacy
Worked across the MENA region as a technical consultant in policymaking and advocacy, delivering over 100 training sessions to 1,500+ young people from marginalized communities in public speaking, debate, and civic participation. Produced high-quality policy briefs, reports, and project deliverables for clients and funders, and collaborated on curriculum development emphasizing interactive and peer-to-peer learning. Managed the National Debate Championship for five consecutive years, coordinating a team of 40+ across logistics, programming, and stakeholder engagement.
Awards & Achievements
The Ridenour Fellowship
CPAP Founders Honorary Scholarship Award
Third Place, Best Poster, APPAM Research Conference
The School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech
The Center of Public Administation and Policy, Virginia Tech
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
Fulbright Student Master Scholarship (2020–2022)
U.S. Fulbright Scholarship
Project for Peace Grant Recipient
Stanford University AMENDS Fellow
Middlebury Institute of International Studies
American Middle Eastern Network for Dialogue at Stanford
Ph.D. Dissertation
The dissertation examines how anti-government presidential narratives shape federal employees' perceptions and career decisions, tracing the connections through four interconnected links: institutional pressure, legitimacy erosion, shifts in employee perceptions, and career decision-making. Using a sequential mixed-methods design, I analyze over 200 official presidential documents and 450 speeches from Presidents Reagan and Trump, complemented by semi-structured interviews with current and former career federal employees.
From Reaganism to Trumpism: Anti-Government Narrative and the U.S. Federal Career Service
Why Government Matters? Blog
Why Government Matters is written by a PhD researcher who spends way too much time reading and studying the federal government, U.S. presidents, agency reports, and stories from federal workers, and actually enjoys it.
This blog is for everyone, not just fellow academics who use fancy words to describe the government.
Posts are short, readable, and aimed at anyone who’s curious about how national government shapes real life.
Whether you’re a federal employee, thinking about public service, or just tired of hot takes, this is a space to talk about the government in plain language.
Why Government Matters is free to read for everyone.
