William Summer, 2024

What’s your current title, and tell us a little about what you do? I am the Director of the Division of Land and Water Stewardship in the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. My division houses the Natural Heritage Program, which is the state agency responsible for gathering and sharing information about rare species and natural communities, and the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, an agency makes grants to protect and restore North Carolina’s natural and cultural treasures. Through our work identifying and conserving these places, we have contributed to the protection of 50 Game Lands, 43 State Parks and Natural Areas, local parks and land trust preserves too numerous to count, miles upon miles of trout streams, drinking water supplies, rare plants and animals, and historic areas, such as the one that may hold clues to the fate of the Lost Colony.

You were a seasoned professional when you came into the program.  Why did you decide to pursue the MPA?

I now have over 16 years of service in this organization, during which time I have progressed through many roles with increasing administrative and leadership responsibilities. Despite that extensive on-the-job experience, I felt compelled to hone my skillset to better meet the challenges of managing a program of this size and importance. When I was appointed Director in 2022, I immediately began researching programs that were well-respected and capable of meeting my needs as a working student. I was thrilled to find that the best online MPA program in the country was right next door.

Looking back on who you were at the start of the program to who you are now, how have you changed? What I learned is that org charts, processes, meetings, division of labor, workflow, etc. are not things that naturally optimize themselves organically. The MPA program made me aware that administration was a science, complete with data, researchers, and publications, and instructed me how to effectively make use of it. I am now more self-aware as a leader and therefore more intentional in my actions.

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 truly cannot single out a single event or experience more useful than another. I would say it was extremely rare that a week went by without learning something that I could immediately use in my professional life.