In my professional and educational career, I have had many opportunities to learn about and reflect upon organizational processes, leadership, facilitating change, managing transition and conflict, and strategic planning. The Masters of Policy, Planning, and Management has allowed me to build upon these previous experiences in many ways, throughout each of the classes that were part of this program.

I started taking classes as part of the MPPM program in 2009-2010 when I took Managing Government and Nonprofits, Applied Data Analysis and Statistics, Strategic Planning, and Human Resource Management and Policy. After completing the Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management in December of 2010 I decided it was time for a change of scenery and proceeded to spend the next nine years traveling around the country working for various nature-based nonprofit organizations in California, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia.

I took the skills that I had gained in these four classes and applied them professionally in the sail training and marine science education industry where I utilized the knowledge, I gained in human resource management to hire and manage a professional crew of 10-15 educators to lead groups of 30-80 students on multi-day environmental education trips to the Channel Islands. Leaving the world of sail training behind for a while I spent a couple of years as the Director of University and Research Programs at the marine science field station for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. At the field station, I found that I needed to apply many more of the skills that I had garnered from these first four courses, as I found myself needing to evaluate programs, develop strategic plans, and apply strategic nonprofit management in decision making within both research and program management.

In 2019, in trying to find my way back to New England I accepted a position as Programs and Communications Manager at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center, the marine science laboratory for UMaine. Having previously applied many of the skills that I had gained through the certificate program, I felt as though this was a great opportunity to complete the Masters of Policy, Planning, and Management that I had started so many years before.  

As I have continued the MPPM program, I have been able to apply many of the concepts directly into my role at UMaine. I have utilized the skills gained in Public Finance and Budgeting, and Grant Writing to develop a new program and begin seeking funding to provide workforce development in the maritime industries for the region, the skills acquired in Introduction to ArcGIS to create a new trail map and marketing piece that will be distributed, and the skills from Strategic Planning to develop a thorough strategic communications plan for the Darling Marine Center. Beyond these specific instances, I have had the opportunity to look upon elements of many of my courses to assist in countless decisions. Through utilizing cost-benefit analysis, analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, and thorough policy analysis, I have led our team in making strong decisions within the organization.

Aside from directly applying specific skill sets within my previous and current professional roles, many of the courses have given a wide breadth of interpersonal and strategic thinking skills that are necessary for holding multifaceted positions that require leadership, followership, teamwork, and communication skills that are necessary for working with diverse sets of stakeholders and partners in any organization. These are the knowledge and skills that I know will stick with me as I move forward in my education and profession.