Public Affairs & Civic Engagement

Experts in public affairs conduct speed mentoring events with MPA program

Michael Broder — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 23:06:05 +0000

Experts in public affairs conduct speed mentoring events with MPA program

Author: M. Ernita Joaquin, Associate Professor of Public Administration

September 25, 2023

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program successfully completed its first-ever speed mentoring project with the program’s board of advisors. On August 29 and September 14, graduate students and recent alumni took advantage of the advisory board’s in-house expertise in the fields of government, academic, business and nonprofit leadership.

MPA Program speed mentors

The events, conducted both at noon and in the evening, provided students nuggets of professional wisdom and lessons on civic engagement, organizational and public change management from experts such as Traci Lester, Lesley Miller, Regina Neu, Tina Olson, Maria Saguisag-Sid, Jim Schutz and Kenneth Songco. Some of the program’s advisors received their bachelor's or MPA degrees from SF State.

The speed mentoring project, led by Associate Professor Ernita Joaquin and the officers of the SF State University Chapter of the International City and County Management Association (ICMA) — Joana De Sousa, Sidney Bliss, Mikayla Denney, Yami Kofuma-Henry and Grant Miller — allowed participants to interact with the board through break-out Zoom sessions. Beside informing students of their professions and initiatives that supplement what MPA students learn from the program, the mentors shared their personal journeys, stories, job- and life hacks and trends that aspiring public executives should note.

While all mentors spoke of equity and public service values, each had unique tips to offer. Neu, for instance, talked about finding “your special sauce” in career decision making and selling it. Olson explained why people who are flexible are successful and the importance of learning to manage people remotely. Schutz emphasized equity in resume preparation and in working in diverse departments as one moves up an organization. Saguisag-Sid urged finding out what stakeholders deem important and recognizing when a job is no longer a good fit. Lester spoke on transitioning into new roles, battling the imposter syndrome and how through voluntary activities, one could get a position created just for them. Miller called attention to supplemental training courses and applying for jobs that have training involved. Finally, Songco emphasized the importance of self-reflection, motivation and diplomacy in public service.

Attendees appreciated the sessions and the wealth of experience the board has to offer. The success of this project suggests a similar undertaking in the future.

Check out the MPA degree now and jumpstart your career!

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Public Administration graduate students successfully compete in national contest on wildfire crisis management

Michael Broder — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 22:12:45 +0000

Public Administration graduate students successfully compete in national contest on wildfire crisis management

Author: Ernita Joaquin

March 15, 2023

Pictured (left) SF State MPA students; (right) winning team “Code Red”

On March 4, four SF State Master of Public Administration (MPA) students joined fellow graduate students from all over the country to participate in a wildfire simulation competition sponsored by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), the accrediting body for SF State’s flagship graduate program in public affairs, the MPA.

Stephen Kraemer, Forest Kerstetter, Sally Mei and Shae Hancock (MPA candidate and chief of operations with SF State’s University Enterprises) all joined national task forces charged with developing a fire mitigation plan for the fictitious town of Westmount.

Each player was assigned a role on a task force (mayor, forest service ranger, water authority manger, environmental organization representative or a local citizen coalition representative). All the roles had well-developed personal and professional motivations, but players had to negotiate a plan that would work for the citizens of Westmount as a whole.

The scenerio was complex, and included immersive details players had to take into account such as wind, temperature and seasons — as well as the socioeconomic differences between the neighborhoods in Westmount. Every decision that was made could change each character’s performance measurement in real time — there were angry constituents, and even a harsh note of rebuke from a player’s boss! The final work product was a policy brief outlining the decisions and mitigation plan, as well as a presentation to the other groups. While the rounds went on, the judges would come around asking questions about the group’s decision-making process, and the answers would count toward the final score.

Overall, it was a rigorous day, but many of the students felt like they really were an intergovernmental task-force. There were roadblocks, setbacks and complicated situations that took everyone working together in order to deliver a service for the public good. SF State MPA candidate Shae Hancock was on the winning team, “Code Red,” which will have its presentation and policy brief submitted to a global competition later this year.

Code Red Team:

David Arguelles, San Diego State University
Ashley Brittner Wells, University of Montana
Marisa McCarthy, University of San Francisco
Beth O’Leary, University of San Francisco
Shae Antonette Hancock, San Francisco State University

SF State MPA Graduate Student Contingent:

Stephen Kraemer
Sally Mei
Forest Kerstetter
Shae Antonette Hancock

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MPA alumni elected to U.S. Congress and local public offices

Michael Broder — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 23:54:05 +0000

MPA alumni elected to U.S. Congress and local public offices

Author: MPA Program

November 23, 2022

Three San Francisco State University alumni of the Master of Public Administration program won seats in the U.S mid-term elections on November 8.

Left to right: Kevin Mullin, April Chan, Shamann Walton

Winning the 15th Congressional District election to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives is Kevin Mullin (MPA, ’98). Mullin will represent the Peninsula and parts of San Francisco in the seat previously held by Democrat Jackie Speier. Mullin previously served in California’s Assembly as Assembly speaker pro tempore and on the City Council for South San Francisco.

April Chan (MPA, ’95) will represent Ward 7 on the Board of East Bay Municipal Utility District. Chan chairs the Fairview Municipal Advisory Council and previously served on Alameda County Fire Advisory Commission. After her MPA degree, she built a career in public finance and transit.

Shamann Walton (MPA, ’10) was just re-elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He currently serves as the board president, representing District 10. He is the former executive director of Young Community Developers.

Other MPA alums have also served as elected officials. John Baker (MPA, ’12) is currently president of the South San Francisco Unified School District. Baker first served on the board in 2016 and has been re-elected ever since. Juslyn Manalo (MPA, ’14) is a member of the City Council for Daly City and has also served as mayor. Alex Randolph (MPA, ’12) was a member of the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2020 and has since worked in government affairs for Uber and currently at The Gap.

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Webinar: Inclusionary and Emergency Housing Policies in California during the COVID-19 pandemic

Michael Broder — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 20:46:45 +0000

Wednesday, October 05, 2022

12:00 p.m. - 01:00 p.m. PT

Zoom

Overview

The Applied Housing Research Initiative (AHRI) at SF State announces the upcoming release of three working papers on the emergency housing policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the advancement of equity.

AHRI will also be hosting an upcoming Zoom webinar on Wednesday, October 5, 12-1 p.m. to discuss the findings of these papers. The papers were written by AHRI’s research team consisting of Professor Ayse Pamuk, Professor Jennifer Shea, Professor Laura Mamo, Professor XiaoHang Liu and AHRI research associate and MPA graduate student Temur Umarov (pictured above, left to right).

Liu’s working paper examines the association between a city’s inclusionary housing program, its vulnerability to COVID-19 and its change in racial residential segregation. Shea and Mamo analyze the results of a survey distributed to 482 local California governments to better understand the relationship among housing policy and three interrelated dimensions of equity goals and targets in areas of economics, race, and public health. Pamuk and Umarov provide an overview of the emergency housing policies implemented in California and a preliminary analysis of their reasons for implementation, effectiveness and potential issues. Additionally, three interactive mapping platforms created by Liu visualize COVID vulnerability, emergency housing policies, and racial residential segregation throughout California.

To read the working papers, explore the dashboards and register to attend the Zoom webinar, please visit the AHRI website.

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SF State student chapter of local government association wins contest for best event

Michael Broder — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 00:05:55 +0000

SF State student chapter of local government association wins contest for best event

Author: CHSS Communications

August 3, 2022

The SF State student chapter of the International City and County Management Association (ICMA) won the association’s Best Chapter Event Contest for its “Breaking into Public Service” virtual panel.

Each year, the ICMA contest awards a select few ICMA student chapters with travel funds to attend the ICMA Annual Conference. Chapters present their most successful event to members of the ICMA Executive Board, highlighting topic, involvement and impact, with a special focus on innovation this year. The SF State chapter, which is advised by Associate Professor of Public Affairs & Civic Engagement Ernita Joaquin, was one of three student chapters to win the contest.

The SF State chapter’s virtual panel introduced students to the experiences of four public service panelists and allowed the 26 attendees to gain insights into career direction and tips for landing roles. SF State ICMA Chapter President Steven Lee moderated the panel, composed of Jim Schutz, city manager of San Rafael, California; Jessica Paran, Social Services Division director of Marin County, California; Aaron Zavala, senior management analyst for Petaluma, California and Ahmad Anderson, director of people and culture at SF JAZZ in California. The conversation ranged from concrete, technical tips for new graduates, to the acknowledgment of a changing post-pandemic workplace, to inspiring reflections on a core value of public administration.

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Gen joins board of environmental conservation science nonprofit

Michael Broder — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 00:21:32 +0000

Gen joins board of environmental conservation science nonprofit

Author: CHSS Communications

August 3, 2022

In June, Professor Sheldon Gen of the School of Public Affairs & Civic Engagement was selected to serve on the board of directors of Point Blue Conservation Science, a California-based nonprofit with global reach on issues of environmental conservation and nature-based climate action.

Gen has served on Point Blue’s science advisory committee for two years and now joins Professor of Geography & Environment Ellen Hines on the board of directors, along with 20 others from business, civic and academic leadership. Point Blue CEO Manuel Oliva said Gen was selected to the board for his “knowledge, leadership and insights” on nonprofits engaged in environmental policy advocacy. His charge is to help enhance the organization’s impact on public policy.

Point Blue’s 160 scientists conduct applied research in shoreline and marine conservation, working lands management, environmental education and keystone environmental datasets. The organization partners with numerous government agencies, farmers and ranchers and other private land owners to research and develop conservation practices that restore and sustain a healthy planet for wildlife and humans. Point Blue’s leadership on nature-based climate solutions is recognized by the United Nations, and in 2017 it was named an official NGO observer organization of the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change. In this role, Point Blue participates in the UN’s annual Climate Change Conference of the Parties, the international community’s meetings to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change.

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Samanta publishes feminist appraisal of federal bureaucracy

Michael Broder — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 22:43:42 +0000

Samanta publishes feminist appraisal of federal bureaucracy

Author: CHSS Communications

August 16, 2022

Aritree Samanta, assistant professor of Environmental Studies in the School of Public Affairs & Civic Engagement, recently published a co-authored article in the journal Perspectives on Public Management and Governance on “Gender Ramifications of a Weberian Bureaucracy: A Feminist Appraisal of the United States Department of Agriculture.”

In this article, Samanta and Shilpa Viswanath, assistant professor of public management at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, take a critical feminist perspective to evaluate federal bureaucracies, in particular the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Viswanath and Samanta challenge the notion of a gender-neutral bureaucracy and argue that federal institutions, especially the USDA, are designed to serve “men” that lead to serious ramifications for policy design and provision of public services. This is the first critical feminist appraisal of the USDA, one of the largest federal bureaucracies. Viswanath and Samanta also include a description of decades of systemic discrimination and civil rights violations undertaken by the various USDA agencies based on gender, race, ethnicity and immigration.

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Faculty-student research team publishes report on travelers and climate action

Michael Broder — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 22:40:40 +0000

Faculty-student research team publishes report on travelers and climate action

Author: CHSS Communications

August 16, 2022

Aritree Samanta, assistant professor of Environmental Studies in the School of Public Affairs & Civic Engagement, was part of a team that recently published a report titled, “Frequent Travelers, Climate and What to Do: Travelers Share Their Thoughts.” The team was led by Paige Viren, executive director of Sustainable Hospitality Management at CSU Monterey Bay and former associate professor in SF State’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism.

The report presents the results from a worldwide survey launched by the research team in partnership with the United Nations World Travel Organization (UNWTO) on the occasion of World Environment Day in 2021. In the run-up to COP26 in Glasgow, 2021, tourism businesses, destinations and associations were invited to participate in this Global Survey of Climate Action in Tourism. Preliminary results informed the content of one of the panels organized by UNWTO at COP 26.

A team of students have played an integral part in the project. One of Viren’s former graduate students (at East Carolina University), Daniel Pilgreen, who is now pursuing his Ph.D. in Recreation, Park & Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M, assisted with supervising three SF State undergraduate students: Mandalyn Kime and Brianna Canizales, both SF State Recreation, Parks & Tourism graduates, and Anya Zabaneh, a Biology major who minored in Recreation, Parks & Tourism.

The objective of this global survey is to better understand the ongoing climate action efforts in the tourism sector and identify front running initiatives and opportunities to accelerate climate action. It is implemented within the framework of the Sustainable Tourism Programme of the One Planet Network. Working as part of an interdisciplinary team of university and industry stakeholder, the project provided students with the opportunity to contribute to a real-world problem and build relationships with faculty and industry for employment, professional networking, graduate school applications/research experience and professional skills.

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Board of Supervisors president says SF State prepared him for public office

Cecilia Cao — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 22:57:21 +0000

Board of Supervisors president says SF State prepared him for public office

Author: Jamie Oppenheim

February 24, 2021

Photo Credit: SFBOS

MPA program sharpened his focus on equity and his understanding of how government works

Hanging in San Francisco Supervisor Shamman Walton’s (MPA, ’10) office is a photograph of his mentor Philmore Graham, founder of the Omega Boys Club in Vallejo — a club that he says saved his life. Its mission was to create a college pipeline for Black male youth. Walton got into trouble at school and spent time in juvenile hall, but the club set him on a different path — one that began with a four-year degree from Morris Brown College in Atlanta and later a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from San Francisco State University. Now, as the county and city’s first Black man elected president of the Board of Supervisors, through public policy, he’s carving out similar pathways for the Black community.

In high school, Walton says he aspired to lead reform efforts in his community. He knew he’d have a role in government, but he couldn’t see the exact path he’d take to get there. It turns out that path was shaped like a circle. Walton grew up in public housing in Potrero Hill and Bayview. Years later, he worked in nonprofits and education serving those same communities. In 2018, he was elected supervisor of District 10, which encompasses those same neighborhoods. He credits San Francisco State with preparing him for that leap to government. There’s not a day that goes by in his current role that he doesn’t use what he learned at SF State, he says.

“The MPA program taught me how government works, how resources flow from all levels of government — federal, state to local,” he added. “The program is second to none in preparing you for a life in government.”

“It’s a testament to the leadership at SF State that professors know and understand that different cultures are important, that diversity is important and to bring all that to a leadership role is important.”

He was drawn to SF State for its historic commitment to social justice, equity and inclusion, something his instructors lived and breathed, he says. “We live in a diverse world. In public service, it’s important to understand and build relationships with the communities and the cultures around you. All of my professors understood that and taught from that perspective,” he said. “It’s a testament to the leadership at SF State that professors know and understand that different cultures are important, that diversity is important and to bring all that to a leadership role is important.”

The program sharpened his focus on equity, something he’s used to draft groundbreaking legislation for San Francisco. For instance, Walton co-authored a measure, approved by the Board of Supervisors, that would close the city’s juvenile hall by the end of 2021. Instead of jailing youth, the city will expand alternative community-based programs focused on rehabilitation.

Another major project he’s working on is developing a reparations program for the descendants of African American slaves living in San Francisco. He assembled a task force in early 2020, and it’s strategizing ways to put a monetary value to the historic injustices the Black community has endured, such as discriminatory housing policies, mass incarceration and the lack of Black business and/or home ownership.

“When we first came to this country, our language was taken away and we couldn’t get an education. That’s kept us from building generational wealth,” he said. “The reparations package will allow us to create some of that wealth and overcome some of the gaps and disparities for the Black community and create positive outcomes.” It’s unclear yet if reparations will take the shape of direct payments to families or will fund specific community programs.

When he’s not working on landmark legislation for City Hall, Walton is making a difference elsewhere — including in the classroom. He’s a frequent guest lecturer in the public administration program at SF State. He tells students considering careers in government that a good place to start is volunteering and reaching out to local officials, professors and educators. Patience and perseverance are important ingredients for this type of work as well, he adds, because change doesn’t happen overnight.

“You’re not always going to start off in leadership roles. You have to work through all the steps,” he said. “I’ve had a paper route. I’ve worked at a Boys and Girls Club, I’ve taught in a classroom, I’ve worked in public housing. I’ve had all kinds of jobs that have led to give me to the experience and opportunities I have today. You never know what opportunities are going to lead to next, so you have to be faithful in the work that you do. Understand that these things don’t happen overnight — perseverance is key.”

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