What contributed to your decision to pursue an MPA degree?
Basically, I got to a point in my career where I was asking myself, what’s next? At that time, I had been in public service for 12 years and had the good fortune of being promoted a couple of times. So, I was at a career crossroads wondering which path to travel next and seeking direction. I knew I wanted to stay in the public service field but where could I make the most difference, in what capacity, and was I fully prepared for the next step up in management? I had considered graduate school before but was uncertain of the program I would pursue and then I learned a colleague was enrolled in ASU’s MPA program. He told me about his positive experiences with the program and the program’s strength and reputation as a leading provider of MPA graduates to public sector agencies in North Carolina and encouraged me to explore it. I did so and found the faculty and overall program to be truly impressive which piqued my interest in advancing to a higher level of public management. I knew the MPA degree was for me and was the next logical step in my preparation for moving up to the next level.
In addition, the MPA program’s off campus availability through ASU’s face-to-face distance education program made it extra appealing. The program’s structure welcomed in-service students with open arms and was so accommodating. I’m still impressed that the faculty would drive from Boone weekly to meet with the cohort in Winston-Salem. The cohort meeting location being less than two miles away from my office was a bonus.
Can you tell me about your career path and current position?
Upon completing my undergraduate studies in environmental and civil engineering, I was employed by the City of Winston-Salem as a Civil Engineer in the Utilities Department. In this role I served as a project engineer primarily responsible for managing all aspects of planning, coordinating, and implementing the design and construction of water and sewer related capital improvement projects including budget monitoring and oversight. After serving as a Civil Engineer for nine years, I was promoted to Utilities Construction and Maintenance Engineer. In this role I oversaw 163 employees and directed field operations to ensure efficient and effective delivery of critical services such as water distribution, wastewater collection, meter reading, and associated technical services. This position began my transition into supervision and operations management and where I built on my project management background by gaining operational and capital budget preparation and more in depth management experience. I served in this role for 2.5 years.
Following my time as Construction and Maintenance Engineer, I was promoted to Utilities Capital Projects Engineer. In this position, I served as the director of engineering for the Utilities Department and administered the capital improvements program. This required developing and presenting annual capital improvement priorities and budgets and spending projections for five additional planning years along with monitoring project budgets, schedules, and adherence to contract requirements. I supervised a team of project engineers that managed the day-to-day contract and project activities. I also supervised a team of plan reviewers that ensured proposed water and sewer project plans were compliant with departmental design standards. This position also provided significant opportunities to provide professional and managerial services to the public, the department’s Utility Commission, other departments, staff, vendors, consultants, developers, and contractors. I was in this role for 3.5 years and began and completed the MPA degree program during this time.
Having completed the MPA program in the spring of 2010, I believed I was ready for the opportunity to advance to a higher level of public management. My opportunity to do so came in the summer of 2011 when I was appointed as the General Services Director for Forsyth County, NC. I have maintained this position to the present.
As the General Services Director, I primarily oversee the activities and needs of seven operational divisions that are responsible for all aspects of the County’s vehicle fleet, properties, and facilities construction and maintenance. The appeal of the position is that it allows me to continue building on my construction project management foundation while meeting a wide variety of customer needs through a broad base of services new for me to manage. Duties include: oversight of the capital improvement program, maintaining and improving 42 facilities with over 2,200,000 ft 2 of space, and overseeing the management and servicing of 600+ vehicles. Additional services the General Services department provides include: security, mail, print shop, energy management, recycling, property acquisition and disposal, watershed dam management, and road name sign production and maintenance. All of this work is accomplished by a fantastic group of 115 dedicated employees that I have the good fortune of working with in General Services.
In what ways has the App State MPA program helped you?
The program helped provide me with foundational knowledge and skills that accelerated and shaped my readiness to take on my current role as the director of a County department. Coming from an engineering education and job experience background, I benefited greatly from the real world public administration experience of the faculty, the professional networking and the broad range of relevant topics and experiences the program exposed me to. From administrative, presentation, and communication skills to evaluating the effectiveness of programs and personnel management (and much more in between), the program prepared me with management tools to immediately step in and make a bigger impact in my department and in my community. Perhaps the biggest help to me was the formal exposure to executive leadership principles that wove together my practical experiences with leadership theories. Not only did this help develop and deepen my understanding of my own leadership style, it helped me develop an aptitude and discerning eye for the leadership potential and styles of others when selecting candidates to align with my management team and other key roles. Likewise, it helped me become more aware of the important links between leadership and strong relationships with staff, governing boards, and the community.
What is one piece of advice you would offer to individuals considering the App State MPA program?
I am reminded of some words I recently heard that are attributed to late President George H. W. Bush. He said, “Any definition of a successful life must include service to others.” He particularly steered others toward public service, saying “Public service is a noble calling and we need men and women of character to believe that they can make a difference in their communities, in their states, and in their country by demonstrating the timeless ideas of duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part and pitching in.”
Go for it! The public sector needs bright, innovative, intelligent leaders and managers to navigate the issues of today and blaze the trails of resolution for the issues of tomorrow. The App State MPA program will prepare you for these leadership and management opportunities and fortify the “noble calling” to public service and “taking part and pitching in.” Likewise, the program will add significant value to the public service roles you decide to pursue and deepen the impact you will have on your community. In addition, the experience, relationships you will build and the network of professionals that will become available to you through the MPA program are all invaluable and enduring.