by Domenica Clark February 20, 2019

Samantha Porter (MPA ‘17) is a Legislative Analyst with the King County Council. Previously she worked in King County’s Behavioral Health and Recovery Division and prior to that worked for the Burke Museum Of Natural History and Culture as well as Crisis Connections (formerly Crisis Clinic), a nonprofit providing a crisis line in Seattle. I spoke with her about her background, how she uses the MPA in her current job and received some advice for current MPA students.

You have worked with both non-profit organizations and government. How did you find those two types of organizations to similar or dissimilar?

I found them to be similar in that the people who work for both nonprofits and the government generally have a mission driven reason for why they want to work there. The people I’ve worked with in nonprofits and in local government are very committed to public service and improving the communities they live in. One difference between government and nonprofits I’ve seen is that nonprofits are sometimes able to be more nimble. Nonprofits are able to make decisions and effectuate change more rapidly, whereas making change in a government context can take more time.

Nonprofits and government are very much interconnected. When I was working at Crisis Connections and the Burke Museum I saw firsthand how these organizations were directly impacted by decisions made by local and state governments. Part of the reason I chose to get a Master of Public Administration and work for King County was because of the role the County has on public services and the community. I wanted to be a part of the policymaking process, which is what I do now.

Why did you decided to apply for the Evergreen MPA program in particular and how did the program fit into your overall goals?

In undergrad I majored in philosophy and religion, neither of which directly related to the career path I was on when I decided to pursue an MPA and I wanted to take a very practical approach to grad school. While I was at Crisis Connections I considered doing a Masters of Social Work and getting into public service in that way. During that time I considered the pros and cons of that degree and did informational interviews where I was introduced to the MPA. With an MPA I could work at a nonprofit, in the public sector, or go into consulting. The MPA is flexible so it felt like the perfect degree for me.

The Evergreen MPA was appealing because it is structured for people who work full-time, like myself. Before I applied I had a great conversation with Randee Gibbons (former Assistant Director of the Evergreen MPA) where we talked about my interests and whether Evergreen was a good fit. I appreciated Evergreen’s commitment to equity and social justice and the ability to craft my MPA around my subject matter interest: the behavioral health system and vulnerable elders. Being able to build Individual Learning Contracts into my coursework allowed me to make the program more immediately relevant to me and my goals. The core of the MPA provided a foundational framework of the role and history of public policy and administration and the moral implications of doing this work.

Do you feel like the Evergreen MPA program helped you professionally?

Absolutely. My career took off while I was in the program and I can tie my current success to the efforts I made, and the coursework assigned, at Evergreen. I started the program while I was working in the nonprofit sector and was hired by King County during my first year. I accepted my current job with King County Council just before I finished the last of my coursework at Evergreen. Also, I was able to take classes in housing policy, GIS, finance, budgeting, and public law that gave me the opportunity to consider different professions and talk with people who worked in those fields.

What your advice about the MPA and for current or potential students?

Do informational interviews. A clear advantage MPA students have, especially at Evergreen, is access to professionals who want to help you achieve your goals. Take advantage of the connections you have with the faculty to network with people in organizations that you are curious about. Learn more about what those organizations do and ask questions to see what kind of skills you need to hone in order to be competitive for jobs you want. Also, be vocal about being in school with the people you work with and make connections there as well. I have found that people are happy to take the time to answer questions about their careers when you show an interest. Just be sure to be prepared for those conversations. Have a clear goal for what you want when you ask someone to share their time with you but don’t miss out on that opportunity.

Also, I highly recommend working while you’re in school. Having done it myself I know how wicked hard it can be to juggle work, school, home, and stay healthy but the program informed my work and my work informed what I got out of the MPA. All of your efforts during the program will pay dividends over time so never give up!