• 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?

> The College of Urban Affairs at CSU had an excellent program. It did not prepare me for my career, but has aided me in performing my administrative duties as a Judge. It is my understanding that I am the only Judge in Ohio to hold this degree. 

 

Any work or internship experience during graduate school?

> I was working full-time in the insurance industry at the time I commenced the
program; and was working full-time as a Trial Court Judge for most of the
program..

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

>  I cannot name just one course, they were all useful to me in my work as a Judge. However, if compelled to do so, the Organizational Management and Human Resource classes were particularly relevant to my work.

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 was re-elected to the Common Pleas Court Trial Bench this past November for an additional six-year term. It is my goal to continue my service in the Judiciary, hopefully progressing to the appellate level at a future date. 

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

>  The work of a Trial Judge, in a jurisdiction of this size and with this variety of issues and cases, is constantly challenging intellectually and administratively. I enjoy the constant demands of managing a docket in the busiest Court in Ohio, And note that the skills I learned in my MPA has moved my docket from 16 in 34, to alternating among 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of 34 dockets. The job, to be done well, also requires excellent communication skills and the MPA enhanced my skills in that area, as well as my organizational and networking skills in the community. 

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

> Yes, it definitely helps me make a difference. The education was so helpful to me in this position, that I firmly believe that all members of the judiciary should be required to take at least some of the courses in order to learn how to manage personnel effectively, organize dockets, and instigate change. The Court system in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Ohio is antiquated and unnecessarily bureaucratic. Many of the personnel are resistant to change. The MPA program provided me with insights into how to move for positive change in order to make the Court more efficient and user-friendly, i.e., more public service oriented. Although resistance remains, the skills I learned have given me the confidence and expertise to effectively advocate change, and some progress is being made.

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

> I would tell an undergraduate to first determine why they want the degree. If the undergraduate does not have a desire to work in government, for the people, and to do so with the same passion and commitment as someone who seeks to work for a particular private sector industry, I would tell them not to get this degree. If, however, they are committed to public service, I would tell them their work cannot be as effective or rewarding without this education. The MPA program is the best possible education for a career in the public service, and the perspective and skills it affords a student is invaluable.