• 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?

> I was working in state government when I started looking at graduate programs. I needed to keep working while I went back to school and North Carolina State University offered night classes in its MPA program. The tuition was also very reasonable and the faculty was highly recommended. 

The program greatly enhanced opportunities for me to advance in state government by providing me with a broader set of applicable skills for working in a large bureaucracy. I had interest in becoming a manager and needed to gain a greater understanding of organizational theory, budgeting and management issues. As a public affairs director, I do not make major policy decisions, but I am in the position of explaining them to the media, citizens and other government agencies.

During the program, my thinking process became more analytical and I also became less cynical about the effectiveness and potential of various government programs. Prior to matriculating through the program, I gave little thought to policy development in an administrative/political setting even though I was working in one.

Any work or internship experience during graduate school?

> I was working as the Public Information Officer in NCDENR’s Division of Parks and Recreation when I entered the MPA program in 1989 and worked in a similar role in the agency’s Division of Environmental Management at the time of graduation. I was able to incorporate many of my work issues into my university assignments.

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

> The most valuable courses were budgeting, policy analysis and organizational theory. While I found research methods quite interesting, it was less applicable to my current and anticipated responsibilities.

As a manager in an agency of 3,700 employees, the budgeting and organizational theory classes provided essential insights on work relationships, managing people and resources, and communication of agency and administration priorities. Even though I have been out of the program for about a decade, I find myself drawing upon what I learned in the MPA program each and every day. The budgeting class was not a number crunching or accounting type of course. It focused on the political, communicative and philosophical components of budgeting.

The policy analysis class broadened my horizons in regards to decision-making. Up until that point, I believed that most decisions were made more arbitrarily and more heavily influenced by political pressure. I was able to specifically apply my existing work experience to the areas covered in these three courses.

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?

> After leaving the MPA program, I became the Public Affairs Director in the North Carolina Department of Revenue and, in 1997, returned to the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources as Director of Public Affairs. I am also a visiting faculty member at North Carolina State University, where I teach a course titled “Oral Presentations for Public Managers.”

In five years, I hope to continue to serve in a high-ranking management position in state government. Ultimately, I would enjoy running a state-based office for someone serving in the U.S. Senate or in Congress where a tremendous opportunity exists to assist citizens who need help meandering the maze of government.

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

> Each day is different. I never know from one day to the next whether I will be dealing with a massive fish kill, an animal waste spill, or an obscure request from a citizen or member of the media that will require a bit of leg work. The most rewarding part is helping people get what they are looking for, whether it be through direct assistance or through a referral. Effectively explaining complex or confusing public policy issues for an agency frequently caught between competing interests is both exciting and interesting.

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

> Every day, I drive home feeling like I’ve made a difference. Whether it be putting citizens in touch with people who can address their needs, or providing information to a member of the media so the public gains a better understanding of how government works and the issues they should know about. A personal goal I have is deeply rooted in my MPA experience. I am committed to showing the public the outstanding and qualified people serving them in their government. In our agency, we have engineers, chemists, geologists, park rangers, forest rangers who fight fires, educators and a wide variety of professionals who work hard on their behalf every day. The MPA degree helps me make a difference because it has helped me do my job more effectively. I make better decisions and perform more efficiently and effectively in my job because of the education I received at North Carolina State University. Also, the MPA is likely the reason I was appointed to my current position.

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

> I have advised many colleagues to enter the MPA program at North Carolina State University. Several have completed the program and have advanced to higher-paying positions as a result. I would strongly encourage an undergraduate to pursue an MPA but would caution them that they must have a strong commitment. I greatly benefited from going into the business world prior to entering graduate school and found that many of the other students who returned to pursue the degree after being out of school a few years did as well. By gaining real world experience before entering the program, I became a more determined and effective student. I advise students to evaluate their personal situations and existing opportunities when deciding about when (not if) they will enter an MPA or MPP program. The lessons learned through these programs have lifelong application in professional and personal activities.