MPA Program Newsletter
Dear Friends and Alumni of Evergreen’s Master of Public Administration Program,
It has been, by any measure, a complex and demanding year for public service. In a class I am currently teaching on the Supreme Court and public administration, I have found myself returning to a quote from Justice Thurgood Marshall: “The process of democracy is one of change. Our laws are not frozen into immutable form; they are constantly in the process of revision in response to the needs of a changing society.”
We are, indeed, a changing society. You, our alumni, are among those writing the revisions. This is both a profound responsibility and an opportunity. We hope you are continuing to draw on the values of the MPA program as your guide: embrace diversity, value fairness and equity, advocate powerfully on behalf of the public, and, perhaps most importantly, imagine new possibilities.
In the spirit of new possibilities, I’m writing to share a few updates from the MPA program.
We are looking forward to recognizing our graduating students at this year’s Capstone Celebration on May 30th at 10:00 AM, followed by a celebratory lunch at the House of Welcome. All are welcome! Please join us in recognizing the hard work and accomplishments of our graduates. Additional details will be shared soon.
We are excited that this year marks the conclusion of the first cohort of our Public Financial Management certificate program, with 15 students expected to receive their certificates. We are encouraged by the success of this inaugural year and look forward to building on this momentum. The program is open to both MPA students and community members, if you or someone you know would be interested in the certificate, please reach out to mpa@evergreen.edu.
We are also pleased to welcome John “Stormy” Glover to our team as Assistant Director of the Tribal Governance and Tacoma cohorts. Stormy brings a wealth of experience to this role, and we are excited for the contributions he has already made and those he will make in the future. I encourage you to visit our MPA Blog to learn more about him and his work. Stormy is often out and about at community events, if you see him, come say hello!
As we welcome a new colleague, we also pause to honor the loss of a deeply valued member of our community, Cheryl Simrell-King. Cheryl served as faculty member at Evergreen for 25 years and was a trailblazer in public administration. Her leadership, mentorship, and commitment to ethical public service left a lasting impact on our program and the field at large. Amy Gould has written a tribute to Cheryl, included in this newsletter, which captures her legacy far better than a few lines here can.
Thank you for the work you do and for remaining an integral part of our MPA community.