The
Public Servant
News from Georgia Regents University’s MPA Program
Another program first! The
Ralph H. Walker Scholarship,
The MPA goes to Washington!
Sophie Spencer (shown here with
Senator Johnny Isakson) became the
first MPA student to do an internship in
Washington, D.C. last year.
She
interned in Senator Isakson’s office
where she had to become a policy
expert on a range of topics (including
agriculture) to advise the Senator and
his staff. Congratulations, Sophie!
appropriately named for the retired GRU
faculty member who brought the MPA
here was established this fall. We
raised a total of $15,000 from the
generous donations of our alumni,
faculty, Ralph’s former undergraduate
students, and community leaders. We
are working now on developing a set of
procedures to award the scholarship
and hope to award the first one for the
Fall 2015 semester.
The search
is on for a new
MPA Director!
Dr. Ribando is
stepping down
at the end of
this academic year. A decision will be
made this semester, with the new
director taking over July 1, 2015.
GRU leads the way in Nonprofit
Management Education!
Speaking of interns . . . Chesney
Tyler turned her summer internship at
the Lower Savannah Council of
Governments into a full-time job.
Congratulations, Chesney!
Congratulations to the following
students on their Spring 2015
internships!
Gina Ashley-CSRA Regional Commission
Halley Badger-Aiken County
Brittany Davis-The Family Y
Andrew Jenkins-The United States
Marshall’s Office
Giorgi Khatiashvili-GRU Nonprofit
Management Program
Kayla King-GRU Office of Advancement
Jack Wilde-City of North Augusta
Is your work site looking for an
intern? Our internship coordinator, Dr.
Martha Ginn, is looking for new
locations to place our students for a
semester-long internship. Please
contact her at mginn@gru.edu if your
worksite would be interested.
In 2013, Dr. Ribando led an inquiry of
the university and community to
investigate whether there was any
interest in creating an interdisciplinary
nonprofit minor. There was an
overwhelming call for nonprofit
education and this past fall saw the
official adoption of a nonprofit minor
offered to undergraduate students. The
minor is doing well and growing
significantly. Dr. Meares teaches two
classes that are offered at the graduate
level, PADM 6302-Nonprofit
Management in the fall and PADM
6301-Financial Management of
Nonprofits in the spring. Next year, we
anticipate having graduate students with
these valuable skills seeking internships
and jobs.
Alumni News
Jameka Jackson
(2013) had her
capstone paper,
"Examining
the Factors that
Lead to Student
Departure at Aiken Tech" accepted for
publication in Questions in Politics after
she presented that research at the 2013
Meeting of the Georgia Political Science
Association.
Sherri Darden (2010) was named
Teacher of the Year at Richmond
County Technical Career Magnet
School.
Heather Young (2013) is now the
Director of Advancement
Communications at GRU.
MPA Alum Adam Mestres Makes
SC State House Bid
Jefferson County Administrator Adam
Mestres, a 2010 MPA graduate, made a
bid for the SC House District 84 seat in
April. Although he did not win the
primary, he was able to garner 21% of
the vote amongst three other candidates
vying for the seat with only 8 weeks on
the campaign trail. Having run a true
grassroots campaign, Adam was able to
gain a better understanding of the needs
of the community, as well as the have
the opportunity to network extensively
and meet with leadership in the SC
House and Senate. This campaign
experience will be valuable, should he
decide to run again in two years.
Adam has been with Jefferson County
since May 2011. Initially hired as the
911 and Emergency Management
Agency Director, he was recommended
for promotion to County Administrator
after only 4 months. Under his tenure,
he has taken the county in a new
direction. His accomplishments include
consistently bringing the county general
expenditure fund in under budget,
building cash reserves, implementing
direct deposit, creating a fleet vehicle
lease and maintenance program, as well
as a number of capital improvements to
include construction of the county
recreation football field, a fireproof
storage and document facility, and a
rebuilding of the county’s website, which
will be unveiled later this year.
Nina Spinelli (2011) was elected the
co-chair of the Savannah River Site
Citizens Advisory Board (SRS CAB) at
the November 2014 full-board meeting.
The Savannah River Site (SRS) Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) is a part
of the Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board (EMSSAB), a
stakeholder board that provides the
Assistant Secretary for Environmental
Management and designees with
advice, information, and
recommendations on issues affecting
the EM program at various sites.
De’Shawn Wright (2011) is now a 7th
grade Life Science teacher in Richmond
County. While working for three years
as a Community Outreach Coordinator
for Helping Hands, she facilitated life
skills classes for foster children,
discovering her desire to teach.
Katy Quinlan Eargle (2010) is now a
Budget Analyst for the United States
Department of Justice in Savannah.
Betty Eason (2011) joined the MPA
Program as its office manager. Say
hello to Betty whenever you stop by!
Faculty Updates
Dr. Hammond was a featured speaker
at the Center for Public Service’s panel
on Ebola. The panel discussed the
medical, ethical, political, and cultural
aspects of the disease, and the
challenges it poses for West Africa and
the world. The panel was front-page
news for the Augusta Chronicle,
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/healt
h/2014-10-01/gru-tackles-ebola-issues.
Drs. Miller and Hammond enjoy their
lunch at the 2014 Southestern
Conference for Public Administration
(SECoPA). Both were involved in
planning and executing this conference,
which attracted over 300 people from
around the region, nation, and the world.
Dr. Ribando had two articles published
on the consolidation that produced
GRU, and has four more under review
related to her research into right-wing
groups and domestic terrorism. One of
those pieces, “In the Crosshairs:
Government Employees and the
Challenge of Right Wing Extremism,”
was co-authored by Scott Gorectke, a
current MPA student.
Dr. Meares recently co-authored “Does
walkability matter? An examination of
walkability’s impact on housing values,
foreclosures and crime,” which was
published in the journal Cities.
Our program is proud to welcome Mr.
Fred Russell, who served for over a
decade as Augusta’s City Administrator.
Mr. Russell is teaching Urban
Government Administration this
semester. (Photo credit: The Augusta
Chronicle).