• How did you select your graduate school and how did it prepare you for your career?
• Work or internship experience during graduate school
• What was the most important or useful course you took in the MPA/MPP?
• Were you a Presidential Management Intern?
• What has been your career path since graduating? What do you want to be doing in 5 years?
• What is the most exciting and/or interesting aspect of your current job?
• Do you feel your MPA/MPP is helping you to “make a difference?” How?
• What advice, if any, would you give to an undergraduate thinking about going for an MPA/MPP?

How did you select your graduate school and how did it prepare you for your career?

> California State University-Bakersfield had the best local program at the time. I had received my PhD from Stanford and also had my JD, so I was looking for management training to prepare myself for a management position in local government.

Any work or internship experience during graduate school?

> I was working full-time as a deputy and the general counsel for the County of Kern.

What was the most important or useful course you took in the MPA/MPP?

> Organizational Behavior.

Were you a Presidential Management Intern?

> No.

What has been your career path since graduating? What do you want to be doing in 5 years?

> I am currently County Counsel for Kern, the third largest county in state, and play a vital role in policy and legal matters of local government. I have been County Counsel for 17 years and in office for 27 years. I was the editor of Law Practice Management Newsletter for the state bar 1990-1991 and President of Kern County Bar Association in 2001.

In five years, I would like to be doing law practice management consulting on complex litigation.

What is the most exciting and/or interesting aspect of your current job?

> Our office is recognized statewide for law practice management and is at the center of everything that goes on and all challenges of local government. It is rewarding to be an integral part of the process that determines local public policy and governmental decision-making.

Do you feel your MPA/MPP is helping you to “make a difference?” How?

> Yes, it introduced me to various theories of management and history of management theory development. It put all of management and consensus building in context and opened my eyes to the need for managers to adapt in the workplace and how to be change agents in an organization. My MPA taught principles of leadership skills and public and community service. 

What advice, if any, would you give to an undergraduate thinking about going for an MPA/MPP?

> It is really necessary in a competitive market for public sector jobs to have a master’s degree, not only on paper, but in reality as well. The advanced training is necessary to make a difference. I would advise an internship in the public sector – government is extremely complex and one needs experience with it to understand the interrelationships between agencies on local and state levels. The MPA program gives the bigger picture necessary to be a successful manager today.