In recognition of the many contributions of the late Edward P. “Buddy” Bullard, III. Awarded annually to a Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumnus, regardless of identity (such as race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, or other protected characteristics), who has served as an exemplary mentor to those within SPIA, SAOC, and their respective communities.

Bullard Award Recipient 2025

Rochelle Haynes, MPA '06
Managing Director of What Works Cities Results for America

Rochelle’s multi-sector career has a common thread of focusing on policies and programs that seek to identify solutions to ending the cycle of poverty in vulnerable communities. She has had the privilege to serve individuals, families, and children through work in government, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors with an expertise in anti-poverty programs that span from birth to adulthood.

Rochelle began her career at the United Spinal Association working on legislation in the areas of affordable, accessible housing for people with disabilities. While her career in New York City government extended from affordable housing to social services where she worked to guide policies and improve operations for public benefit programs including a tenure as Chief of Staff at NYC’s Department of Homeless Services. After 10 years in municipal government, Rochelle pivoted to the philanthropic and nonprofit sector. First, she joined 100 Resilient Cities-Rockefeller Foundation, where she led global operations and strategy for the City Practice Management team and was responsible for the delivery of the 100RC core program which included leveraging global partnerships and practices to ensure successful implementation. She later served as Vice President of the US Social Impact team at Sesame Workshop, where she developed and led the scaling strategy of the Sesame Street in Communities initiative which expanded from 3 to 13 cities and regions serving over 75,000 vulnerable kids and families.

Rochelle is currently the Managing Director of What Works Cities at Results for America. What Works Cities was launched in 2015 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and established the first-of-its-kind global standard of excellence for data-driven, well-managed local government with over 220 cities in the network and more than 100 Certified cities throughout North, Central and South America. She is also an independent social impact consultant focused on strategic planning, fundraising, analysis and public affairs for government, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.

Rochelle resides as a Board Member of KABOOM! and the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy where she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She recently completed an 8 year tenure as an Advisory Council Member of the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University where she is an alum having obtained dual Master’s degrees in Public Affairs and Urban and Regional Planning. Rochelle’s first introduction to the Princeton community was as a participant of the Junior Summer Institute formerly known as the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship.

Background

Edward P. Bullard received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Howard University in 1988. He entered SPIA to pursue a MPA in 1995 on a Karl E. Prickett Scholarship and specialized in domestic policy. In the years in between, he co-founded the Renaissance Real Estate Institute, which provides technical assistance and community and economic development information to urban residents in New York, Washington, DC, and Maryland. He served as Director of the Blackham School Community Lighthouse in Bridgeport, CT where he designed and operated after-school and summer programs for students in grades K-12. He later worked as a planning coordinator for the NEU East End Community Board, Inc., where he helped to develop and promote community empowerment. He also volunteered as a youth mentor with the Bridgeport Board of Education and participated in Project Blueprint, a United Way training course that trains leaders to serve on local non-profit boards of directors. While at Princeton, he took a middle year out to intern on Capitol Hill in the Office of Senator Christopher J. Dodd (CT). 

Edward passed away on January 5, 1998, while on medical leave from Princeton, but his legacy at SPIA remains. The Symposium has become a school tradition, bringing alumni and students together in a vibrant and inspiring way.

Award Criteria

The Bullard Award is given to a SPIA alumnus, regardless of identity (such as race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, or other protected characteristics), who has served as an exemplary mentor to students, their community, and is an inspiration to the SPIA community.