Amanda Wesson, UNC MPA Class of 2023
Join UNC MPA on April 9th from 5-7:30pm in our nation’s capital to (re)connect with MPA alumni, students, prospective students, faculty, and staff for drinks, lite bites, and great conversation for our Happy Hour Hub. First round and nibbles are on us.
Calico
50 Blagden Alley Northwest
Washington, DC 20001
This event is open to all affiliated or interested in the MPA program at UNC. Registration is required.
*If you would like to help organize a Happy Hour Hub in your community, contact Brandon Foster at foster@sog.unc.edu or 919.962.0426.
Join UNC MPA in Raleigh to (re)connect with MPA alumni, students, prospective students, faculty, and staff for drinks, lite bites, and great conversation for our Happy Hour Hub at Trophy Brewing on Morgan Street. First round and nibbles are on us, register HERE!
Trophy Brewing
827 W Morgan Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
If you would like to help organize a Happy Hour Hub in your community, contact Brandon Foster at foster@sog.unc.edu or 919.962.0426.
Thursday, February 2, 2023
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Tate’s Craft Cocktails
279 W. 4th Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
If you’re in town for the NCCCMA Winter Seminar, or if you are simply in town, join us for our first Happy Hour Hub of 2024! There is no charge but PLEASE let us know you’re coming by registering HERE. If you would like to help organize a Happy Hour Hub in your community, contact Brandon Foster at foster@sog.unc.edu or 919.962.0426.
Thursday, February 1, 2024 – 7:30 a.m.
M.C. Benton Convention Center, Gaines 2
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
This annual event hosted during the North Carolina City-County Managers Winter Conference is a great opportunity to (re)connect with MPA alumni, faculty, and staff, and to meet current students.
You don’t need to be registered for the conference to attend the breakfast, however, you do need to register by going HERE, scroll down and click the Register Now button below City and County Management Seminar. You may need to create a login and password but once you’ve done that, you’ll see an option to register for the breakfast.
If you are having any issues, you can reach out to Brandon at 919.962.0426 who can help you through the process.
Hogan Medlin has been a current student in the UNC MPA program since 2021. As he gears up to graduate this December, he took some time to reflect on his career and his decision to pursue the MPA. With a path that includes corporate work, health care, diversity/equity/inclusion work, strategy, innovation, leadership, and change, he has touched so much with his public service values and has no plans to stop. Read more about his path here.
This December the UNC MPA program will be welcoming 17 new graduates into our alumni community.
Read about a few of them below.
Amanda Wesson, UNC MPA Class of 2023
Hometown: Wake Forest, NC
Alma mater: North Carolina Central University
Degree: BA Psychology, MEd Communication Disorders
What’s your current title, and what do you do?
I am a speech-language pathologist of over a decade who most recently assessed preschoolers as part of a transdisciplinary team for a local school system. In this work, I used play therapy techniques to elicit responses for assessments to help determine young children’s needs. I also recently worked as an early childhood policy analyst with a non-profit organization. There, I helped coordinate events for legislators, synthesized information and provided policy considerations on various topics related to child care and early education.
What are your plans after graduation?
I recently signed on with Wake County Budget and Management Services to become a Budget and Management Analyst beginning in January! There, I will work closely with department staff to evaluate funding and program requests, collaborate to develop alternatives, and recommend approaches that align with the County’s overall objectives. I plan to engage in continuous learning activities and also hope to maintain my license and certification as a speech-language pathologist.
Looking back on who you were at the start of the program to who you are now, how have you changed?
Wow, it feels like so long ago, but I began this process as a direct provider and clinician. I knew I had a heart for public service and always strived to produce outcomes for public benefit. My experience led me to look at each case with an individualized lens. With the knowledge and connections I’ve gained from this program, I now have a head for public service—I’ve gained technical skills, theoretical frameworks, and practical experience. More than that, I’ve opened up myself to all the possibilities and ways I can contribute to my community and the communities of those I serve.
What is one class, one project, one faculty member, one experience, one discussion, or some other aspect of our program that had an impact on you and proved to be meaningful in your professional life?
I entered this program with a general idea of which direction I thought it would take me. However, I became interested in budget and management while taking PUBA 731 – Public Financial Management, taught by Monica Allen. I assumed it would be merely accounting, but it is much more comprehensive. It encompasses data, strategy, stakeholder and citizen engagement, problem-solving, and writing—many of the things that attracted me to the field of speech-language pathology. In taking this course, I realized how I could make a more significant impact at a macro level to support systems that provide education, public health, and human services.
A brief quote or piece of advice for those considering the UNC MPA or a career in public service?
The UNC MPA program has been instrumental in shaping my journey from a seasoned speech-language pathologist to an emerging public administrator in budget and management services. Embrace the opportunity to broaden your horizons, as the skills and insights gained here will empower you to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others.
Shane Rudloff, UNC MPA Class of 2023
Hometown: Denver, CO
Alma mater: Ohio State University
Degree: BS International Relations
What’s your current title, and what do you do?
I am currently a Senior Grant Writer at a nonprofit called Growing Home in Westminster, CO. I build relationships with funders and secure grants for our programs which include a food pantry, a community garden, housing assistance, and early childhood education resources.
What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation I’d like to pursue a career in local government, preferably at the City Manager’s Office where I can interact with all kinds of stakeholders that work with government. I live by learning and enjoy observing the contexts and perspectives of different experts and professionals in the public sector.
Looking back on who you were at the start of the program to who you are now, how have you changed?
Looking back at who I was before I started the program, I’d say I’m much more cognizant of the inner workings of how the government operates. I was originally aware of the surface level details (elections, bills becoming law, politics, etc.), but now I understand there’s more that goes into getting things done (budgets, hiring the right people, working with private contractors, etc.). I have a more holistic view of how the public sector works.
What is one class, one project, one faculty member, one experience, one discussion, or some other aspect of our program that had an impact on you and proved to be meaningful in your professional life?
I would say that one class/experience that really stood out to me during my time at UNC was the immersion. I loved the opportunity to get to meet some of my peers in person which is a rarity for an online student. There I was able to meet some incredible professionals and people, and I am still very close friends with some of my classmates.
A brief quote or piece of advice for those considering the UNC MPA or a career in public service?
This is a pathway that provides an opportunity to help shape the way communities, states, and nations operate. It will make you a person people turn to when they are looking for solutions, and you will do little things daily that contribute to improving something. I take pride in that fact, and that is what public service is all about.
Joanthan Hill, UNC MPA Class of 2023
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
Alma mater: Duke University
Degree: Public Policy and History
What’s your current title, and what do you do?
My current title is Executive Director of Keep Charlotte Beautiful. I’m a full-time employee of the City of Charlotte, but it’s a little like running a nonprofit within the city government. The program has a City Council-appointed board, its own social media channels, and conducts some fundraising. An AmeriCorps service member (whom I manage) and I run numerous, community-driven initiatives related to litter prevention, waste reduction, and beautification.
What are your plans after graduation?
Throughout the MPA program, I’ve been able to apply lessons learned from class to greatly expand the programming scope and offerings of Keep Charlotte Beautiful. I hope to continue that after graduation. Two of my goals for the coming year are to launch a resident-operated ‘Friends of Keep Charlotte Beautiful’ spin-off nonprofit to enable easier fundraising for the program and to implement an in-depth litter study using our city’s Solid Waste Services department and students from UNC-Charlotte.
Looking back on who you were at the start of the program to who you are now, how have you changed?
When I applied for the program, I had just learned that I had received funding to hire an AmeriCorps service member for the first time, and wanted to hone in my leadership skills. The MPA program has enabled me to do that and more. In some instances, the MPA program enabled me to put a theoretical name to practices I was already implementing. In many others, it enabled me to consider new ideas and new ways of managing. I have become a more strategic-thinking, results-driven, and public-oriented manager because of it.
What is one class, one project, one faculty member, one experience, one discussion, or some other aspect of our program that had an impact on you and proved to be meaningful in your professional life?
As I mentioned to my oral exam panel, the idea of inspiring a shared vision from Kouzes and Posner’s The Leadership Challenge has stuck with me. Much of the work I do is collaborative, but a lot of it is driven by me, rather than being driven with the help of others. That message has reoriented my focus towards public engagement. In other words, I have what I think are a lot of great ideas, but they may not be what the public wants or even needs. Deploying a consensus-driven approach to tackling wicked problems provides for a more meaningful solution while broadening my perspective as a public servant.
A brief quote or piece of advice for those considering the UNC MPA or a career in public service?
Always consider how you might apply the lessons learned in class to your day-to-day work. Putting those theories to practice not only helps you learn more about them, it enables you to determine what works best for you.
Julia Murphy, UNC MPA Class of 2023
Hometown: Pittsfield, MA
Alma mater: Providence College
Degree: BA in Political Science, Minor in Public and Community Service Studies
What’s your current title, and what do you do?
I am a Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary at the United States Department of Commerce. I directly support the Deputy Secretary by overseeing his external engagements, supporting the day-to-day operations of the office, and advising on policy matters. As a political appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration, most of our work is centered around advancing and implementing the President’s priorities.
What are your plans after graduation?
I’m only three months into my current job so I’m hoping to stay for a while! I was working in the Massachusetts State Legislature when I began the program, so making the leap to the federal government and working in the executive was a goal that I had for a while and I’m grateful I was able to achieve while obtaining my MPA.
Looking back on who you were at the start of the program to who you are now, how have you changed?
My time in the program has reaffirmed that I want to be in public service for as long as I can. Taking classes while getting real-world experience allowed me to develop a public administration lens that I use every day to think about challenges, potential solutions, and how to move the needle forward. My decisions are directly informed by the frameworks and practical applications that I encountered in my courses. My ability to communicate concisely and effectively has significantly improved, and taking a deep dive into my leadership abilities has given me tremendous confidence both personally and professionally.
What is one class, one project, one faculty member, one experience, one discussion, or some other aspect of our program that had an impact on you and proved to be meaningful in your professional life?
This is such a hard question because I have genuinely learned so much from every professor, class, and classmate I’ve had! I think back to Prof. Julie Bregman’s Institutions and Values course that I took in my first semester of the program where we talked about equity as a core and competing value of public administration. When talking about equity versus effectiveness, I remember having a lightbulb moment where I said something along the lines of, “If programs aren’t working for the people they are intended to serve equitably, are they effective at all?” From this point forward, equitable public administration has been top of mind for me and has driven my focus areas in the program and the way that I think about the world, and is something I hope I can continue to foster as a public service leader. Government is a powerful tool to help people, and I would push back on anyone who claims that you can’t have equity and efficiency at the same time. It may not be easy, but it is our job as leaders to find a way forward.
A brief quote or piece of advice for those considering the UNC MPA or a career in public service?
The answer to both is simple — do it! There are a lot of complex challenges that our world faces and we need bold, courageous, thoughtful, and visionary leaders to take those challenges on. The UNC MPA equips you with the tools to tackle those problems, and you learn from the best and brightest faculty and classmates. Public service is an honorable undertaking and allows you to make an impact on other people’s lives in a way that other professions don’t offer. The MPA program was one of the best choices I’ve made and I feel incredibly well-prepared for wherever my path may take me.
Panel discussion participants Christopher Everett, Alex Lassiter, Elizabeth Biser and Pablo Friedmann discuss how Tar Heels contribute to North Carolina during the 230th University Day celebration at Memorial Hall on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Thursday October 12, 2023. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)
UNC Master of Public Administration program alumna Elizabeth Biser participated as a panelist at 2023 University Day on October 12, 2023. This year’s University Day celebrated UNC’s 230-year-history and centered around the theme of “Service to Our State.”
Biser ’17 spoke on a panel with three fellow UNC alumni, discussing “Tar Heel Contributions to North Carolina.” The conversation was facilitated by UNC Study Body President Christopher L. Everett. Pablo Friedmann ’09, director of the Multilingual Resource Center for Durham Public Schools, and Alex Lassiter ’10, founder and CEO of GreenPlaces, spoke alongside Biser.
As secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Biser is charged with oversight of the agency, which protects the state’s environment and natural resources. Its programs seek to safeguard air, water, land, coastal fisheries, and the public’s health; the agency also offers technical assistance and encourages responsible behavior and respect toward the environment.
Biser spoke during the panel about the honor to work with and lead her colleagues in the effort to safeguard North Carolina’s environmental future.
“Getting a chance to lead the state agency whose mission is to provide science-based environmental stewardship for the health and prosperity of all North Carolinians is an honor every day,” she said.
“I work with 1,600 folks across the state whose entire career is dedicated to making sure that we have clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and that our environment is supporting our way of life.”
Biser credited her educational experience at the School of Government—and particularly the UNC MPA program—as vital in instilling the knowledge and interpersonal skills necessary to lead the agency’s increasingly complex work.
“The lessons that I learned at the School Government definitely helped me every day in thinking about public service leadership, how to motivate a team that is dedicated to public service, that faces so many challenges, especially in an increasingly divisive world.”
Closing out the discussion, Biser spoke to the audience about the importance of lifelong learning, in public service or any other professional field.
“Learning does not stop once you graduate. To prepare for public service—and really to prepare for anything—it’s about not thinking that the last time you walk out that classroom that it’s over,” she said.
“The key to success is making sure you are growing as a person, you are growing your skillset, and you are learning from other fields and sectors around you.”
Biser imparted the audience with advice to succeed in truly making an impact in their work: have a continued desire to be curious, ask questions, learn from them, and grow.
“The people that I have seen be most successful have embodied that lifelong learner mentality and seek out opportunities to improve.”
Biser is a double graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, holding a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Administration. She has a strong background in environmental affairs. In addition to her work at Biser Strategies LLC, she served as vice president of policy and public affairs at The Recycling Partnership, government relations and policy director for Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, and as director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs at the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (the predecessor of DEQ). Biser served on the School’s Foundation Board from 2019 to 2021.
Each year on Oct. 12, Carolina celebrates University Day, which marks the laying of the cornerstone of Old East — the campus’ first building and the oldest state university building in the nation. The day is a celebration of our mission as the country’s first public university and our service to North Carolina, the nation and the world through our teaching, research, and public service.
Watch the full recording of the University Day ceremony.
UNC MPA is coming to Austin, TX for the ICMA conference. 22 students along with a handful of faculty, staff, and alumni will be present. If you are in town for the conference, or just in town, come to Shiner’s Saloon on Monday, October 2nd from 4:30pm – 6:00pm to connect with us! Shiner’s Saloon is located at 422 Congress Ave. D. The program will provide light appetizers and one drink ticket per person.
UNC School of Government faculty member Margaret Henderson retired from her full-time position in September 2023 after more than 20 years of service to the University and the State of North Carolina.
“Margaret is a symbol of what the School of Government can and should be,” said Aimee Wall, dean of the School. “The caring, depth, honesty, and integrity she possesses are what we all strive to embody in our work. She is a true public servant, and it is difficult to imagine the School without her.”
Henderson’s career embodies the public service mission of the School and the University. Before she arrived at Carolina, she spent 20 years in human services, including work in state and local government and the nonprofit sector. These experiences included service as the executive director of the Orange County Rape Crisis Center.
An expert in facilitation and human services, Henderson leveraged her scholarship to work as a leading actor in the fight to protect vulnerable North Carolinians. In recent years, her workfocused onassisting local governments in their efforts toaddress and stem human trafficking and elder abuse. She lent herexpertise to countless organizations dedicated to this work, including the North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission, NC Stop Human Trafficking, the University’s Project No Rest, and the School of Government’s Adult Protection Network.
In April 2023, her dedication to service was recognized by the University community as she received the Office of the Provost Engaged Scholarship Award for engaged research.
“I have spent 24 years collaborating with Margaret on projects and with clients,” said Lydian Altman, teaching assistant professor at the School. “In her quiet manner, she drops pearls of wisdom into almost every conversation. She offers the opportunity to see things differently and more holistically—how to appreciate and seek out the differences that enrich our work and add meaning to our lives.”
Henderson possesses a unique depth of knowledge on the practical challenges and opportunities of cross-organizational collaborations. She directed the Public Intersection Project, researching and communicating strategies to strengthen these relationships. Her scholarship, teaching, and facilitation helped governments, community programs, and nonprofit organizations bridge divides and generate more effective solutions to public problems.
A UNC MPA graduate, Henderson later taught in the program for more than 20 years. She has co-authored articles that appeared in Popular Government, ICMA’s IQ Report and PM Magazine, American Review of Public Administration, PA Times, and the FBI Law Enforcement Journal. Beyond published scholarly works, Henderson provided foundational resources for local governments. Most recently, these include sheets with basic facts about sex and labor trafficking, blog posts about recognizing trafficking indicators, and discussion guides for trafficking prevention strategies.
Henderson’s background in collaboration allowed her to identify new connections and pathways for local government cooperation in the fight against human trafficking. One such example is a bulletin generated by Henderson and colleague Kirk Boone, “Property Tax Officials Can Help Recognize Human Trafficking Indicators.”
Henderson’s influence can be seen across the state and in the halls of the Knapp-Sanders Building. A devoted colleague and friend, her collaboration and leadership fostered new connections and made the School a better place to work. Most recently, she served as a co-chair of the School’s Committee for an Inclusive Workplace.
The School of Government thanks Henderson for her dedicated service to clients, students, and the State of North Carolina and wishes her the best in retirement.
UNC MPA is excited to invite alumni and friends of the program to the Deil S. Wright Public Service Forum. This pilot event – a facilitated conversation with our speakers and the audience about the role philanthropy, non-profits, and governments play, or can play, in responding to issues and challenges those working in Public Service address every day – is designed to enhance the experience and better integrate subject matter with the simultaneous MPA Immersion course.
Taught by Dr. Teshanee Williams, this fall’s Immersion course will focus on Building Nonprofit & Government Capacity to Respond to Wicked Problems. Panelists for the forum include:
The MPA Immersion is an elective course that connects theoretical concepts to everyday practice in an in-person intensive three-day weekend delivery and offers opportunities for collaboration and professional networking. The Deil S. Wright Public Service Forum is part of the Immersion but is open to alumni and friends of the program.
The forum will carry on the tradition of honoring Professor Deil Wright for his 34 years of teaching, mentorship, and scholarship in the MPA program. It expands upon the Deil S. Wright Lecture in Public Administration, an event launched in 2002 that invited a distinguished professional from the field of public administration to enrich the educational experience of the MPA community.
The Forum will be followed by a reception for UNC MPA alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends of the program.
Click HERE to register
Note – please register EACH individual who intends to attend either the Forum and/or the Reception.