Cady graduated from the UNC MPA program in May 2025. She earned her undergraduate degree at University of Mississippi in Public Policy Leadership & French.
Q1: Cady, you are finished with your MPA! Congratulations, how does it feel?
Thank you so much! It feels amazing! Completing the program was incredibly rewarding, and I’m so proud of everything I learned along the way. The experience really expanded my perspective and strengthened my skills which has given me a deeper understanding of public service and a renewed sense of purpose.
Q2: Tell us about your initial decision to pursue an MPA. Did you consider other grad degrees?
I always knew I wanted to pursue a graduate degree, but after entering the workforce full-time, I realized a part-time program would be the best fit for me. I wanted to stay in Washington, D.C., so I started researching local programs and considered options like a Master of Public Policy. Ultimately, I decided that an Master of Public Administration aligned more closely with my goals. I came across UNC’s MPA program through online rankings and reviews, and after researching further, it checked every box. Choosing UNC’s online MPA program was one of the easiest and best decisions I’ve made.
Q3: Was it difficult working full time and going back to school?
Balancing both definitely required some adjustment. There were challenging periods, especially when a demanding work week lined up with major school deadlines, but it was never unmanageable. The program’s structure and the understanding nature of the professors made a huge difference. They recognized that many of us had careers and personal responsibilities, which created a supportive and flexible learning environment.
Q4: Can you tell us about a favorite class, specific project or experience, or meaningful professor in the program, and what you gained from it?
There were so many enriching classes and memorable experiences throughout the program, but one professor in particular made a lasting impression on me, and that was Professor Ana-Laura Diaz. I had the opportunity to take her Law for Public Administration and Mediation for Public Managers courses, and she was phenomenal. Her teaching style was dynamic, thoughtful, and engaging. She had a unique way of bringing real-world relevance to the classroom, whether through discussions of landmark court cases or practical conflict resolution strategies. I still carry many of her lessons with me, especially around ethical leadership and effective communication. I’m so grateful to have learned from her!
Q5: What advice do you have for those considering going back to school or starting a career in public service?
My biggest advice is to connect with people who’ve already gone through the experience. Current students or recent graduates can offer honest, practical insights about what to expect. It’s also so important to research programs carefully to find one that aligns with your personal goals, interests, and lifestyle. And perhaps most importantly, get clear on why you want to pursue further education. Understanding your purpose will help guide your decisions and keep you motivated through the challenges of graduate school.
Q6: What are you looking forward to in your career?
I’m looking forward to making real, tangible impacts in the communities I care deeply about. I’m especially drawn to roles that combine strategic thinking with public service. This could be through leadership positions, policy development, or driving organizational improvements. Both my MPA coursework and my work on Capitol Hill have shaped the way I view public service, and I’m excited to apply those lessons to shape policies and improve public services. At the heart of it all, I want to be part of efforts that lead to lasting, positive change.
Q7: And a fun question to end with. What are you reading or listening or looking forward to most this summer?
This summer, I’m most looking forward to picnics on the National Mall with friends. Jimmy Buffett is always on repeat for me during the summer months, and my “Want to Read” list is overflowing! A few books I’m hoping to get through are Senate Procedure and Practice by Marty Gold, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher, and Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself and why you decided to pursue the MPA.
I’m from Irvine, California, and grew up in Southern California, where I first got into acting in 8th grade—both of my parents were actors, so it felt like a natural path. For undergrad, I went to UNC School of the Arts and earned my BFA in Acting. While I loved acting, I realized I was most passionate about storytelling and collaboration. Over time, though, I began questioning whether I wanted to pursue acting professionally. I spent summers in Maine with friends, staying at this beautiful, renovated barn where we’d write and produce our own plays for the local community. I found myself gravitating towards producing and administrative roles because I loved helping artists bring their visions to life. That inspired me to join the MPA program—to strengthen my skills as a nonprofit administrator. I knew I wanted to grow into an executive director role for a nonprofit one day, and this felt like the best step to get there.
Q: What did you discover or learn about yourself through the MPA program?
A huge thing I got out of the MPA is just this understanding of how the public sector works – the ins and outs of it, the logistics, but also the deeper purpose of it.
Q: What have you loved most about the program?
This idea that everyone in the program is there to serve people and communities really stood out to me. One of the biggest benefits was getting to meet so many people with different experiences, backgrounds, and interests, but all aligned in the value of wanting to help improve the world we’re living in. You’re in a class of 15 people, and your classmates are bringing real examples and issues to the table, especially as they relate to leadership. You get to talk about and reflect on these challenges, not just in their areas of work but also in my own areas of work and interests.
Q: How has this program changed you?
During the first year of the program, I remember thinking, “Wow, this is a lot of information.” It felt helpful, but I wasn’t sure what it was really doing or where it was going. Then in my second year, it all started to solidify. I saw it show up in my work—identifying what wasn’t working, what we should be doing, and rethinking how I approached our organization. It completely reshaped the way I work. The program also made me more confident as a leader. I’m someone who listens, values collective thinking, and puts shared values first. That really resonated with me because it’s not always the status quo. It reassured me that my leadership style—one that prioritizes quieter voices in the room—is not only valid but necessary.
Q: What advice do you have for people considering a career in public service or specifically the MPA degree?
My advice would be if you do this program, you’ll be surrounded by people who believe in the potential for government and public service to improve and make a real impact. Use your time in the program to learn collectively from each other’s passion and experience. It’s truly inspiring.
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.
Q: What was the path you took to get to where you are now?
A: So the shortest way to answer: I took the part time job I had while in the MPA and turned it into a full-time job. I’ve never left. I started with Rebuilding Together of the Triangle as the first employee in fall of 2008 and when I finished the program in 2010, they offered me a full-time role, and I’ve been there ever since. The oranization has grown – my title is the same, but my job has changed very much over the last 6-8 years
Q: Have you pursued any other certifications since your MPA?
I’ve done a few speciality licenses in my field – like Licensed General Contractor, Licensed Septic Installer, and all sorts of things like that. Since I have a leadership role in housing preservation, I’ve had to learn about contracting.
Q: Is the field you are working in now relevant to your MPA degree?
A: Yeah – Housing and non-profit. Public interest in affordable housing is at an all-time high right now. I went to the MPA interested in housing recovery and disaster management, and it ended up a lot of what I did and the opportunities I had were around addressing housing quality issues. A lot of the work I do is done in partnerships with local, state, and federal gov and their housing efforts, so it’s been a great degree for me.
A lot of the relationships I formed initially through the program have also been a big part of my professional life. In an MPA group project I did with Catawba County and the [then] Assistant County Manager Lee Worsley, UNC MPA alum – now Executive Director with Central Pines Regional Council in the Triangle is a primary local partner of mine now. We formed a relationship in the program that has been instrumental to our current work.
Q: How did the MPA program specifically prepare you for future work experiences or inform what you do now?
A: The biggest thing was helping me more thoroughly understand the way that the governing process worked internally and providing an understanding of how to develop programs and strategies that work in public-private-non-profit spaces. Also, the relationships that elected officials and organizations have to approach challenges and problems and how they can become community partners to come to the table with solutions. The MPA program gave me the tools to be a good partner and to build programs that we can actually work with.
Dylan Russell is the executive director of Lead for North Carolina at the UNC School of Government and a co-founder of Lead for America. Lead for North Carolina places students in high-impact fellowships in local government across the state. He has secured over $6 million in private support to advance Lead for North Carolina’s mission and has placed 110 young people in local government fellowships across the state. Dylan also launched the NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps with the Office of Strategic Partnerships and placed 300 student interns in local governments and nonprofits across North Carolina. Prior to serving as executive director, Dylan was a development officer at the School of Government, a policy analyst at the NC Department of Public Instruction, a fifth-grade public school teacher, a White House intern, and a member of the Board of Trustees at Appalachian State University. Dylan served as president of the Graduate Student Body at UNC and president of the Student Body at Appalachian. Dylan was awarded the Robert E. Bryan Public Service Award from the UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor and the Plemmons Leadership Medallion by the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees.
Russell is an instructor in the UNC School of Government’s Master of Public Administration program. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University, an MPA from UNC-Chapel Hill, and is pursuing his Ph.D. at North Carolina State University.
The UNC MPA Program gave Dylan the tools, network, and skills he needed to launch Lead for North Carolina and co-create Lead for America. The UNC MPA Program was where he first studied the silver tsunami and human capital pipeline concerns in public management. The School’s commitment to bridging scholarship to practitioners inspired Dylan to create a similar model to connect future talent with high impact positions in local government. The faculty’s mentorship, guidance, and support were and continue to be critical in Lead for NC’s operations.
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.
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 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.
Q: A brief quote or piece of advice for those considering the UNC MPA or a career in public service?
A: Join the UNC MPA program! It will help you with any number of paths forward in public service or even to help you bring important public service values into other sectors. The MPA program teaches you about inter-sector relationships, systems, and encourages you to “ask the second question” to reach real solutions.