Brooks MPA student Niamh Moore has been named the Leonard P. Adams and Evelyn H. Adams Leadership Award recipient. 

The Adams Leadership Award is presented to members of the MPA graduating class who have excelled academically and made extraordinary contributions to the field of public affairs at Cornell through service and enterprising leadership. The award was established in 2004 by Dr. Samuel Adams MPA ’74 and his wife, Marlene Adams.

Moore was presented the honor at a reception following a special MPA Colloquium on leadership and organizational development featuring Dr. Adams and MPA Lecturer Karima Mariama-Arthur. 

In response to the award, MPA Program Lecturer Dan Lamb said, “Niamh’s enthusiasm for public policy inspires her classmates, whether in class discussions or in group project work.”

“She leads by example with a combination of humility, determination, and academic rigor,” he added.

Niamh Moore is a second-year Brooks MPA student concentrating in Public and Nonprofit Management. While pursuing her MPA, Moore has served as senior managing editor for the Cornell Policy Review, a peer advisor for the MPA Program, and as the appropriations chair for the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly. She is also a Frédéric Bastiat Fellow for Political Economy at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. She hails from County Meath, Ireland. 

“I am very honored to be selected as the recipient of the Adams Award,” said Moore. “It is very humbling and I am grateful for every opportunity I have had at Cornell to engage with such inspiring peers and mentors; they constantly remind me of the importance of public service and striving towards making a difference in the world.”

Professor Alan Mathios also praised Moore’s excellent work and the great support she provided as a teaching assistant for the Intermediate Microeconomics for Public Policy course, a class her peers take during their first year of the MPA degree. Reflecting on her experience at Cornell, Niamh shares, “During my time in the Cornell MPA program, I have gained invaluable knowledge and skills that have allowed me to make meaningful contributions in my professional, academic and personal life.”

“The MPA program has a close-knit feel that is evident from the support of faculty, staff and fellow students, which has encouraged me always to try to give back to the communities I am passionate about. My experiences here will stay with me as I enter the professional world.”

Moore is a graduate of St. Mary’s University, Twickenham, in London, England.  After graduating from the Brooks School in May, she hopes to work in policy roles that address inequitable access to healthcare or education.

Congratulations, Niamh!