The UNC Master of Public Administration program is proud to celebrate the appointment of Christina Farrell, ‘92 as the new Commissioner of New York City Emergency Management, the nation’s largest local emergency management agency.
Commissioner Farrell brings more than three decades of public service to this role, including 23 years with NYC Emergency Management and over 31 years with the City of New York. Her appointment by the mayor marks a significant milestone in a distinguished career spent strengthening the city’s preparedness, response, and resilience.
In reflecting on the announcement, she shared:
“After 23 years at NYC Emergency Management and more than 31 with the City of New York, Mayor Mamdani has appointed me Commissioner of the nation’s largest local emergency management agency. I am so honored to lead this amazing team, and I understand what an awesome responsibility this is. The public servants at our agency work tirelessly on behalf of all 8.5 million New Yorkers before, during and after emergencies, and we are excited for this new era for our agency and New York City.”
Beyond her contributions to New York City, Commissioner Farrell has remained a dedicated member of the UNC MPA community. She has served as an MPA Alumni Mentor, supporting students as they explore careers in public service, and is an active member of the MPA Alumni Association Board, where she helps strengthen connections between alumni, students, and the program. Most recently, she returned to UNC-Chapel Hill as a panelist at the Deil S. Wright Public Service Forum in October 2025, sharing insights from her extensive leadership experience with MPA students, faculty, and alumni.
Her leadership embodies the mission of the UNC MPA program: preparing public service professionals to lead, innovate, and serve the public good at every level.
Congratulations, Commissioner Farrell! UNC MPA is proud to count you among our alumni and look forward to following your continued impact on New York City and the field of emergency management.
Please join us for a UNC MPA Special Topics Webinar discussing public administration and the nonprofit landscape. Attendees will hear from our nonprofit faculty advisor, Dr. Teshanee Williams, current student Emma Gilliam who helped co-found our nonprofit student organization Leaders for Good, and esteemed alum Tim Leshan who has worked in nonprofit leadership for the bulk of his career. Panelists will discuss how their careers/interests began, why they obtained the MPA, how the MPA has supported their careers, and advice on the current landscape of nonprofit administration and how to navigate a caeer in it.
Featured panelists include:
Teshanee Williams – Assistant Professor of Public Administration and Government
Emma Gilliam – Current UNC MPA Student, Co-Founder of Leaders for Good
Tim Leshan – Chief of External Relations and Advocacy Office, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, UNC MPA Alum
The panel will be facilitated by our Director of Admissions, Cara Robinson
A new MPA tradition is the “So You’re an Expert in What?” event for students to get to know some our esteemed School of Government faculty members. This year we are inviting prospective students to attend virutally and see how our students can benefit with all that happens across the School. At this event, three School of Government faculty will share about their areas of expertise, and they only have seven minutes to do it!
Moderator:
Jeff Welty, Professor of Public Law and Government; Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
Speakers:
Jacqui Greene, Associate Professor of Public Law and Government
Christopher Mclaughlin, Professor of Public Law and Government
Kristi Nickodem, Assistant Professor of Public Law and Government
The theme of this year’s Deil S. Wright Public Service Forum is emergency management. Organized by School of Government faculty member Crista Cuccaro and offered In conjunction with the UNC MPA Immersion course on Emergency Management, this year’s Deil S. Wright Public Service Forum will feature an engaging discussion on the topic with experts and practitioners in the field.
The Deil S. Wright Public Service Forum will again be linked to the UNC MPA program’s Immersion course, this year on Emergency Management. The Forum will be a panel discussion moderated by Norma Houston that focuses on relationships and coordination between local, state, and federal governments for successful emergency management.
Speaking about emergency management from the local government perspective will be UNC MPA alumna Christina Farrell ’92, First Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management; Will Ray, North Carolina Emergency Management Director; and Erik Hooks, former Deputy Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
In person registration for School of Government community members and #uncmpa program alumni. Reception to follow.
Virtual registration available for prospective students and those interested in emergency management.
This spring UNC MPA awarded diplomas to 41 graduates. We reached out to a few of them to find out what they’re up to this summer and post graduation. Each year the UNC MPA program graduates leaders ready for public service work. Our graduates are employed across all levels of government, non-profit organizations, and even the private sectors. Read about a few of them below.
Cady Cooper – Legistlative Assistant, US Senate
Phillip Matthew Dellinger – Budget Analyst, City of Hickory
Matthew Rowe – Wildland Firefighter, US Forest Service
Avangelyne Padilla – Project Coordinator, Fountainworks
Hear from employers who recruit MPA students during the Employer Pitch Session, as part of the MPA Career and Networking Fair. Each organization will have the opportunity to share information about their work, organization, and positions they are hiring for now and in the future.
While this event is for current students in the program who will be entering the job market soon, this is a great opportunity for prospective students to learn more about the MPA job market and experience our career service offerings.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from employers representing local governments, state governments, the federal government, non-profits, and private sector employers.
We asked some recent graduates of our online format about their most important memories of the MPA program and how this journey has impacted them.
Jack Peterson currently serves as the Director of the Member Experience for the National Association of Counties. Prior to joining NACo, Jack was a government relations associate for Urban Swirski & Associates and worked in multiple offices on Capitol Hill. Jack holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Davidson College, just north of Charlotte, and completed the UNC MPA online format in December of 2023. Jack currently lives in Chicago, IL.
Tina Bice resides in Winston-Salem and currently works as project manager for the Human Resources Division of Wake Forest University. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and finished the online format of the MPA program at UNC in 2023.
Stephen Thompson is executive assistant to the President and CEO of the North Carolina Symphony. He lives in Raleigh and finished the online format of the MPA program at UNC in 2023. He has a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University.
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Q: Looking back on who you were at the start of the program to who you are now, how have you changed?
A: “I’ve become a more thoughtful and strategic, forward-thinking person. The MPA program helped me move outside of my linear thinking patterns and consider the systems that create embedded problems and approaches we can take to change systems at the source to lead to better outcomes.” – Tina Bice, UNC MPA Alumna, Class of 2023
A: “This program really shaped my professional vision. I started this program with a concentration in Nonprofit Management. I didn’t know about many of the arts and culture programing performed by State and local governments in North Carolina and after my first year I switched to a concentration in Local Government with the goal of working for the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. My MPA Alumni mentor opened my eyes to the possibilities of local and state government arts program positions and after completing my PWE at the Cary Arts Center, with the Arts and Culture division of Cary Parks and Recreation Department I knew State/Local Cultural Resources was where I wanted to be. Additionally, the focus on real-world organizations and project presentations in the courses helped to give me confidence in my professional life.” – Stephen Thompson, UNC MPA Alum, Class of 2023
A: “Two aspects really stand out: first, the program really helped me build my management skills. Some of this was through the organizational theory and HRM courses, digging into discussions on organization structure and bias. These courses also gave me more tools to understand what colleagues and team members might be bringing to the table and how their work styles might differ from mine. Second, I feel much more connected to many experts in the field of public administration on whom I can rely for recommendations, advice, and guidance. This surprised me (since I work for an organization where I get to interact with public administrators daily), but the breadth and depth of leaders (both on faculty and in the student body) at UNC has really helped expand my knowledge and capacity.” – Jackson Peterson, UNC MPA Alum, Class of 2023
Q: 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?
A: “My Applied Research Project (this is the final project or thesis substitute of the program) experience was incredibly valuable. I researched work characteristics among hybrid and remote staff members at U.S. colleges and universities that promoted organizational commitment (ultimately, information sharing across distances and clear, equitable performance management). I was able to apply my findings directly to the development of an institution-wide flexible work program at my place of work. We will be tracking the results of our program over the next few years to see its effects on retention and recruitment. UNC gave me the guidance I needed to engage in this research and the language to bring my findings to HR and university leaders.” – Tina Bice, UNC MPA Alumna, Class of 2023
A: “Public Service Leadership was a life changing course. I was skeptical going in, because I had held the fallacy that leadership is a trait, not a skill, however the focus on leadership skills which can help “non leaders” to learn how and “born leaders” to improve really spoke to me. I use concepts from that class weekly. In particular, my book club selection was Leading In Place, which is a professional development book I recommend everyone read, no matter your position in your organization. Mary Hemphill was my professor and her enthusiasm and genuine presence showed me what a leader looks and acts like.” –Stephen Thompson, UNC MPA Alum, Class of 2023
A: “The immersion courses – especially for online students – I could not recommend more highly. The topics may not always be exactly what you are interested in, but the chance to connect with your classmates and faculty in-person is very worth the time and financial investment the course requires. Plus, it is fun to be on campus for a couple of days, especially if you’re not based in NC!” – Jackson Peterson, UNC MPA Alum, Class of 2023
The Fall 2024 MPA Immersion course will be led by Professor John Stephens. The topic will be ‘Exploration of Artificial Intelligence and Public Administration’. Immersions are weekend intensive learning opportunities for UNC MPA online and on-campus students which count for credit and require registration. All programming takes place at the School of Government, Knapp-Sanders building. Registration is through Connect Carolina. Contact Elizabeth Langefeld to get registered.
View this short video message about the course from Professor John Stephens.
The UNC Master of Public Administration program aims to help mold the next generation of public service talent—for North Carolina and beyond—that can address the multifaceted issues public officials are expected to contend with in the coming years.
As UNC MPA graduates continue to navigate the changing challenges of public service, three recent UNC MPA graduates share below how their degrees helped them overcome obstacles and discover creative solutions to issues that inundate the public sector.
Scott Powell (’24)
After graduating from the UNC MPA program this spring, Powell returned to work for Wake County—where he serves as a budget and management analyst. In his role, Powell manages department budgets in his portfolio and advises the county to make informed financial choices.
From his time in the program, Powell said he gained the academic and practical knowledge to successfully effect collaborative change for the county.
“I’m more pragmatic now than I was two years ago,” he said. “With the help of experience—much of which is a direct result of UNC’s MPA program—I find myself to be more curious and willing to figure out how to actually get big things done in a community that reflect shared values.”
Now that he has graduated from UNC MPA, Powell aims to continue to leverage the knowledge he learned in the program to improve the outcomes of his public service—both at work and at home.
“I will continue to learn and grow as much as I can with Wake County. I also plan to become more civically engaged in Durham, where I live.”
Giving advice to prospective and incoming students to the program, Powell reiterated the importance of creating far-reaching and diverse relationships—both in the program and out. He sees the opportunity to build strong bonds across the UNC campus as a unique advantage of the program.
“Invest in the friendships and community you make during this chapter of life. Some of those will come from the built-in community of your cohort, which can be an awesome experience, but they may also come from somewhere else on campus,” he said. “Among many other things, it’s what sets this program apart.”
Charles Rocci (’24)
Charles Rocci currently serves as the planning administrator for the Town of Pine Knoll Shores. In his role, he administers town, state, and federal requirements for land use planning and economic development in the town. He additionally works with community stakeholders to develop long-term strategic plans and comprehensive land use plans to drive the decision-making process for future town policies and programs.
As Rocci works to secure a bright future for Pine Knoll Shores, he often finds himself relying on the organizational proficiency he gained from his UNC MPA degree to make both immediate and long-term decisions that are in the best interest of its residents.
“I use my MPA degree to improve processes for the Town to better serve its residents and support its employees,” he said. “In the long term, I would like to use my degree to promote sustainable and equitable development practices in the Coastal North Carolina region, whether that be at the state or local government level.”
In the program, Rocci said he found a renewed appreciation for public service. One specific discussion in class, he said, helped him discover a shared perspective and admiration for public officials among his academic peers.
“I recall the personal mission in vision discussion in the Public Service Leadership course as a very impactful moment for me in the MPA program,” he said. “Along with being able to reflect on my life experience and motivations, which brought me down this path, I was also able to see the unique experiences and motivations of my classmates, which created a similar drive in them. I came out of that discussion with a greater appreciation for those who choose a career in public service and an optimistic perspective for the future of the field.”
Jennifer Taylor-Monteagudo Mora (’24)
Jennifer Taylor-Moneagudo Mora began the UNC MPA program in fall 2020, completing coursework virtually while working full time. As she completed her public administration studies, she found a newfound appreciation for public service and decided to make a significant career change—moving from working in education to local government.
It was a choice that paid off. Taylor-Moneagudo Mora now works as a budget and policy analyst for the City of Richmond, VA. In this position, she works with a team to create the annual fiscal plan for the city. In addition, she analyzes proposed state legislation and determine if and how much said legislation will have a fiscal impact on the city.
After completing the program this past spring, Taylor-Moneagudo Mora plans to continue in her current role, but to use the skills and theory she learned in at UNC MPA to eventually rise in the local government field into a management position.
With real world experience working in local government management under her belt, Taylor-Moneagudo Mora knows the problems governments encounter are not simple to solve—but still feels prepared to address them. She credits her UNC MPA degree with preparing her to tackle complex public sector challenges.
“I have become comfortable with the fact there may not be an easy solution and there is likely someone with deeper knowledge on a topic at hand,” she said. “I have learned to embrace discomfort because it helps me to grow personally and professionally.”
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.