UNC MPA Student Honored as Military-Affiliated Grads Featured Scholar

The UNC Master of Public Administration program extends its congratulations to one of its own students, MaryBeth Spoehr, for being selected as last month’s Military-Affiliated Grads Scholar by the Graduate School.

Spoehr is pursuing her MPA degree while completing research into identifying key similarities in North Carolina city charters that contribute to a stable local government. This research is evidenced by city bond ratings, which are important because they are external agency evaluations that certtify the creditworthiness of a given municipality. Through the identification of similarities between highly-rated cities, Spoehr is hoping to help other local governments take the key steps needed to improve their respective bond rating scroes and subsequently provide the needed infrastructure and improvements to improve their municipality.

With this desire to improve local government management in mind, Spoehr said she knew UNC-Chapel Hill would be the right fit when exploring prospective programs.

“Choosing UNC-Chapel Hill to study in the School of Government was an easy choice,” she said. “I knew that I wanted to receive an education from – and be part of – an organization that values and emphasizes public service.”

Following her undergraduate studies, Spoehr commissioned into the United States Army as an intelligence officer. She served on active duty as a captain for five years, an experience she categorized as vital in preparing her in the transition to a largely virtual academic experience.

“The military taught me the skills to adapt to new challenges and new environments,” she said. “An unexpected challenge of the virtual learning format was the lack of interaction with others in my cohort. I relied on my experiences of building a team when geographically distant to build connections with my peers and to enhance my learning experience.”

Looking ahead to a future after completing the program, Spoehr hopes to continue the tradition of service that has defined her career – whether it be in the military or in the classroom.

“I want to continue public service in local government within North Carolina. The degree from UNC-Chapel Hill equips me with the knowledge, resources, and network to contribute to local government leadership.”

The MPA program once again congratulates Spoehr on this honor, and looks forward to seeing her accomplishments in the public service field.