On behalf of Evergreen’s MPA faculty and staff, I bring you greetings and well wishes for a happy spring!  Evergreen’s campus has become awash in the many colors of blooming flowers and plants. At the same time, the campus is making its return to the pre-pandemic bustle of faculty, staff, and students.  The MPA program is holding its first in-person class sessions this quarter since winter 2020, both in Olympia and in Tacoma. While we expect that the post-pandemic era may still require quick adaptations to new health circumstances, we are excited to provide students with the in-person learning experiences that are our program’s hallmark for at least some of our courses.

Since our last MPA program newsletter, we have had to say farewell to two of our faculty and staff.  This spring, MPA faculty member Eric Trevan has accepted a position with California State University in San Marcos, while in summer 2021 MPA program assistant Dhara Katz moved on to a position with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industry. At the same time, we have been fortunate to welcome Lacey Chen as the MPA program’s new assistant.  The MPA program is in the process of filling the vacancy left by Dr. Trevan. 

We are also proud of the many recent accomplishments of MPA faculty, staff, students, and alumni.  In November, Governor Inslee appointed Squaxin Island chairman and MPA Tribal Governance alum Kris Peters to Evergreen’s Board of Trustees.  In addition, the City of Tacoma has recognized MPA alum with an Emerging Leader award and as a City Manager Fellow.  In July 2021, MPA alum Shain Wright was appointed as a Student Regent on Washington State University’s Board of Regents, in their role as a doctoral student in Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education at WSU Pullman. Moreover, earlier this year a study by MPA students Leanne Rolling and Zach Lynch and supervised by MPA faculty member Amy Gould became the basis for House Bill 2017 in the Washington State Legislature. The bill seeks to improve equity in housing for those affected by the criminal justice system. At the same time, we are pleased to announce that MPA professor Meghan Doughty has become a converted member of Evergreen’s faculty, in recognition of her excellence in teaching and service.  These and the many other achievements of our students, alumni, faculty and staff highlight our shared MPA motto of “be the change.”

I invite you to celebrate and engage with these and the many other happenings in the Evergreen MPA community by following our MPA Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/EvergreenMPA).  You can also find career opportunities for MPA alumni at our MPA LinkedIn page (https://www.linkedin.com/company/mpanews).

We would also like to let you know that we are still accepting applications for our Fall 2022 MPA cohort, including our MPA Tribal Governance cohort. Colleagues, friends, or others you know who are pursuing a career in public service can sign up for an information session at https://www.evergreen.edu/mpa/attend-information-session  to learn more about our MPA program in Olympia and our weekend-intensive Tribal Governance program.  Our final application deadline is coming up on June 30th!

Sincerely,

Mike Craw, MPA Director