• 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?

> Choosing Appalachian State University (ASU) for graduate school was easy. Appalachian’s MPA degree is designed to give students relevant knowledge and experience. Also, their reputation in placing students in local government jobs was outstanding and that was what I was interested in pursuing. They were also NASPAA accredited. 

Appalachian more than prepared me for a career by offering in-depth discussions as well as practical experience during classes. We performed numerous applications that related to real life work situations, plus we received a lot of hands on time with working professionals in the public service field.

Any work or internship experience during graduate school?

> One of Appalachian’s strongest assets is its internship opportunities. Internships are essential in learning necessary skills, knowledge base and gaining job experience. And best of all, the majority of internships at ASU were PAID! During graduate school I had the opportunity to participate in two internships. My first was with the Town of Boone Planning and Inspections department. Because I was interested in learning more about emergency management I helped this department with their federally funded Project Impact program for a summer. For my second internship I opted to explore alternative avenues within public sector work and was fortunate enough to work with Appalachian State University’s Business Affairs Department in Design and Construction. ASU’s Design and Construction department oversees all past, present, and future construction projects on ASU’s campus. They are also in charge of comprehensive planning for the university. This internship allowed me the opportunity to see the inner workings of a university, as well as, how budgeting is performed on the state level. 

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

> I don’t feel that there was just one useful or most important class in my MPA program. All the core classes have been beneficial in my work as a public sector manager. On a daily basis I use things I learned in Organization Theory, Personnel, Budgeting, Research Methods, Public Policy Analysis, and Public Administration. 

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?

> Prior to graduation I was accepted into the North Carolina Governor’s Public Management Fellowship Program. This is a 2-year fellowship program that grooms recent MPA graduates for work in State government. You are chosen through a rigorous selection process, which begins with selection from your university. There are 10 universities in North Carolina offering MPA/MPP degrees. These universities choose 3 students each to compete. Those 30 students attend a one-day assessment center. Those departments wishing to receive a fellow then interview those that pass the assessment center. I interviewed with 3 departments (Crime Control and Public Safety, Department of Corrections, and Department of Juvenile Justice). You then make a list of agencies you wish to work for from 1st to 3rd and the agencies do the same with prospective fellows. My first choice was Crime Control and Public Safety and I was their first choice. On July 1, 2001 I began working for the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety in the Research and Planning Section of the NC State Highway Patrol. My primary responsibilities were process improvements, research and analysis, and strategic planning for the Highway Patrol. I initiated projects, such as a scheduling study, which explored scheduling troopers according to when wrecks were happening rather than the old thinking of “everyone must work on Friday and Saturday nights”. I began a pilot program that included 8 districts that created their own schedules. Some districts chose 12-hour/3 days a week schedule, while others chose a 9-hour/4-day a week schedule. This study was a definite break from the Patrol’s normal “we have always done it this way” attitude. 

After a year with the Highway Patrol I decided I would rather work in local government, so I set out in search of a job in local government focusing in community development. I am now employed with the City of Tamarac, Florida as the Associate Planner. Tamarac is a city of approximately 60,000 residents located in south Florida’s ever-famous Broward County. It is in close proximity to Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. It is a city of rapid growth and changing demographics. My job functions here include site plan and application review, zoning compliance inspections, project research, planning board liaison, and responding to public information requests.

I hope to continue a career in local government, focusing primarily in metropolitan areas, and in 5 years I hope to hold a department management position.

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

> The most exciting and/or interesting aspect of my current job is being able to help build a community and develop its sense of place. I have a direct role in the quality of development that takes place within the City of Tamarac and making sure it is something that Tamarac and myself will be proud of in years to come.

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

> My MPA definitely helps me “make a difference”. The knowledge and subjects I studied in graduate school better educated me to do the job I am doing now and it will continue to aid me as I take on greater responsibilities as a public sector manager.

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

> Do it!!! There is no time like the present. An MPA/MPP degree puts you one step above everyone else applying for a public sector job and they are essential in being a great public sector manager.