An interview with Jenny Heckscher, adjunct faculty member at UNC MPA

Jenny Heckscher is the director of innovation programs for the Center for Innovation Strategies at The Ohio State University, where she manages programs, operations, and outreach to support education, research, and applied practice in innovation. She has been an adjunct faculty member with the UNC MPA program since 2016. She earned a B.A. from Ohio State and an M.A. in public policy and management from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs.

Q: How did you find your way into teaching with UNC MPA?

I knew Dr. Amy Wade from her work with Glenn College at Ohio State, and she had wonderful things to say about the online MPA program at UNC-Chapel Hill. She mentioned she taught Organization Theory, and I mentioned that was an area of expertise and interest for me; she later approached me about my interest in interviewing for an adjunct instructor role. I interviewed and fortunately was hired in 2016 and have thoroughly enjoyed teaching in the MPA program. The UNC School of Government is the nation’s largest university-based training, advisory, and research organization for public officials. We have highly experienced faculty and staff, and inspiring students who bring impressive background to every class. I enjoy the opportunity to share learning, knowledge, and leading practices with our students each term.

Q: How did your career in public administration lead you to academia?

A great deal of my background is in higher education working for a large public research university. I also worked for over a decade in the private sector in financial services, where I worked extensively with our federal regulatory agency. I have always loved learning; teaching in a public administration program aligns many of my interests—teaching public service leaders, continually learning how to make organizations more effective, and helping to serve our communities.

Q: Can you share a bit about your career outside of academia and how it influences your teaching?

All of my roles, even in the private sector, have had high integration with the public sector; in class, we discuss the blurring of the sectors. Many roles and organizations collaborate across sectors, and that is why the MPA degree offers such actionable knowledge and skills for students from all sectors. And this informs my teaching; students come away from Organization Theory and their many other courses in the program with a highly valuable toolkit they can draw on throughout their careers.

Q: What are some of the key skills and experiences that have shaped your approach to public administration?

Here I will draw on Organization Theory; I may be biased, but Org Theory can help you in so many ways, both professionally and personally. Dr. Jacobson, the lead faculty member for the course, provides a comprehensive approach to understanding organizations and diagnosing challenges and opportunities within those organizations. For example, we use the Bolman and Deal text, Reframing Organizations, which employs a four-frame model to help us apply a structural, HR, political, and symbolic lens to holistically understand a situation. The approach of considering a variety of mental models based on decades of research and practice can be applied to many situations to inform decision-making and create a path forward. I emphasize to my students that we cannot know all the answers when we take on a new role or face a new challenge, but Org Theory provides skills and knowledge so you’ll know where to start, how to diagnose what is happening, and how to create a path forward. I hope that provides a level of confidence to us all as public service leaders.

Q: What types of roles or organizations have you worked with in the public sector, and how do those experiences inform your teaching?

I also work at The Ohio State University, which like UNC, is a large research university. Large research universities pose intriguing organizational challenges and opportunities; they are highly decentralized organizations, with many talented faculty and staff in subunits each with its own structure and culture, all working hard to meet the needs of students and other stakeholders while making progress in their respective missions as research and teaching institutions. I have many examples from working in higher education of successful organizational practices, and of course, examples of how things might have been done better, that I can draw on while teaching.

In my current role, I’m the director of innovation programs for the Center for Innovation Strategies at Ohio State. We help organizations explore and validate new programs and services. Innovation is closely tied to Organization Theory. For example, in Org Theory, we discuss the importance of strategic planning; innovative ideas often arise out of the strategic planning process and the need to respond to environmental factors the organization is facing. And that planning process requires thinking about collaborating with stakeholders, another topic we discuss at length in the course. Any new program or service also needs to be integrated into the organization, which requires thinking across the organization’s structure, HR, political, and symbolic or cultural framework using the Bolman and Deal four frame model I mentioned earlier.

I have also served on a board for a national nonprofit focused on diversity in higher education recruiting. In all of my roles, I have learned the importance of collaboration, active listening, empowering others, continually learning from each other, and helping others to succeed so that the organization can pursue its mission and goals. And these are all skills and concepts we discuss extensively in Organization Theory.

Q: What advice do you have for students looking to pursue a career in public administration or become more involved in the legislative process?

Pursuing an MPA offers an excellent foundation, and I’m so impressed with the students, faculty, and staff at the School of Government; my advice would be to soak up as much as you can from everyone. Our students, faculty and staff bring a wealth of expertise; we can learn from each other every day. And stay in touch with those you meet through the program and any other professional development activities you engage in. There are so many talented public service leaders doing great work; we can all learn from and support each other to best serve our communities.

Q: What are some of your personal interests or passions outside of public administration?

My husband and I have two young adult daughters whom we love to spend time with. Now that we are recent empty nesters, we’re enjoying more time for long walks and exercise, and more time with family and friends and for travel. A few years ago, I decided to learn guitar. I put myself in the category of “not awful” as a guitar player for the foreseeable future. I also enjoy reading widely, both fiction and non-fiction.