Town of Apex extends networking and advancement opportunities to UNC MPA student Jackson Dille

This post was written by current student Jackson Dille.

—————————————————————————————————————

One of my favorite aspects of being a college student is how eager professionals in the field are to connect with you and offer professional advice. This dynamic has helped me forge lasting professional relationships from past conferences I’ve attended, such as the International City/County Management Association in Austin and the Congress of New Urbanism in Charlotte. Last week’s North Carolina Local Government Budget Association conference in Beaufort was no exception.

The conference started off strong with opening remarks by motivational speaker Jamie Valvano, daughter of legendary NC State basketball coach Jim Valvano. Jamie encouraged attendees to write their vision for an extraordinary life on an index card. This provided a great opportunity for me to reflect on my personal goals as well as my goals for the conference.

Fortunately, the conference met my goal of gaining a better understanding of the issues affecting budget departments across the state. I had the chance to meet and converse with professionals from budget offices in areas such as Cumberland County and Gastonia, learning about the local challenges impacting their organizations. The conference sessions offered valuable insights, covering everything from creating pivot tables in Excel to getting G.O. bonds passed. 

The conference was as entertaining as it was informative, and I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know my team better. I am extremely grateful to the Town of Apex for the financial support that made attending this conference a reality for me. I look forward to applying the concepts I learned to my work as a budget analyst and hope to attend the next conference this winter!