• 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?

> Wanted a strong administration background. Selected UMKC because I was looking for a positive learning environment and they were totally proactive in recruiting me. They applied for a Chancellor's scholarship for me and offered me a research assistants position. They have excellent faculty and stress administration whether in not-for-profit, health or urban field. I received an excellent education. It was strong on theory, but many different theories and encouraged the student to decide what they believed. 

Any work or internship experience during graduate school?

> I worked as a research assistant and did two internships. My first internship was on a part time basis with the City of Prairie Village, Kansas where I did research on city matters. My second internship was with the City of Gladstone, Missouri which was a full time paid position. I did research and wrote the personnel manual, working directly with the City Manager. My research assistantship included five semesters researching innovations in urban administration under Karl Johnson. I also worked as a teaching assistant for the statistics class. 

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

> The politics of administration is the one I use every day, in addition the planning class on how cities develop and the effects of suburbs on the inner city has been very helpful.

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 began my career as a Budget Analyst for the City of Kansas City, Missouri, was then promoted to Assistant to the Finance Director, lastly, I was promoted to the City Manager's Office, where I started as Assistant to the City Manager and was later promoted to Assistant City Manager. I left the City of Kansas City in 2000 to begin work with Mission Hills, Kansas as City Administrator. In 5 years? I have no idea. I plan on still being in the KC metro area and in city or county government. Very likely I will still be in this job. I worked for KCMO for 12 years. I am not much of a job hopper.

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

> The best part of my job is getting to do absolutely everything. I am the Public Works Director, Human Resources, Budget Officer etc. I am constantly learning new and interesting information about sanitary sewers, bridges, flooding, etc. A large city like KCMO requires segregation of duties. Here it is just me and a fine staff with each staff person answering directly to me.

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

> Most definitely my MPA helps me to make a difference. I have enormous influence over the services and quality of those services that the residents receive. I have uncovered actual fraud among contractors and just plain inefficiencies. In 3 years I have made changes in how we do business that save the taxpayers about $400,000 a year. That is a tenth of our total budget. These savings have allowed us to increase service levels without increasing taxes. My education is what has given me the ability to identify inefficiencies and the where withal to go through the political minefields to get changes made.

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

> Don't get tied to into what your first job will be. In other words don't just concentrate on Urban administration ignoring classes on Not-for-profits, etc. because you will change and your interests will change. Good administrative skills are transferable. Keep your options open. Take advantage of your education to learn about other fields. I am on my second career. I was a social worker for 6 years prior to graduate school. After urban administration I would like to earn my PhD and teach.