Alumni Profiles

Adam is a 2010 graduate of the MPA program. Before assuming his current position as county manager of Morgan County, Adam served as county administrator with Jefferson County, Georgia. Initially hired to direct Jefferson County’s 911 and Emergency Management Agency, where he was responsible for implementing improvements to the county’s emergency response systems. He was so successful in this role that after only four months on the job, he was promoted to county administrator. Adam credits his success in part to the rigorous instruction received as both an undergraduate political science student and a graduate student in the MPA Program.

Ms. Dixon describes how the MPA program has helped advance her career: "Coupled with my innate passion for service, the MPA program expanded the context in which I serve my community through rigorous instruction, diligent research, and practical experience. The quality of education gained is evident through my daily application of budgeting, professional development, program evaluation, and much more. Under the guidance of a competent and compassionate staff, my confidence level in my work increased as I matriculated throughout the program.I am proud to report that I am now the Counselor/Tutorial Coordinator for the historic and great Paine College TRiO Upward Bound Program, the very same Program I completed for my Capstone Project! Since 1967, the Paine College TRiO Upward Bound Program has provided fundamental support to over 2,500 Richmond County high school students in their preparation to attend a post-secondary institution upon high school graduation. I am truly living in a full-circle moment.  Thanks to a great program!"

Chief Clayton describes how our program has helped his career: 

"Completing the Augusta University Master's of Public Administration program has been one of the best decisions of my adult life. The MPA program exposes its students to academic theory, but emphasizes practical application. As a MPA candidate you will accomplish projects that will prepare you for the real world like preparing and completing: budgets, management plans, program evaluations, personnel appraisals, survey instruments, conflict/ethical resolution, focus groups and other research studies.

I have spent 28 years in the public sector in a variety of law enforcement leadership positions. Participating in the MPA program has greatly enhanced my experience. As a person who has sat on personnel screening boards, I am more interested in what an applicant can do than what they know. The MPA program will help to develop you into a can-do person."

Dr. Martin knows everyone in health care up and down Georgia's coast, says Dr. Linda Boyd, associate dean for regional campus coordination for MCG. She is an experienced educator who has managed graduate programs, an experienced administrator who has managed large, multi-site health care programs and she helped plan the international G8 Summit in Sea Island in 2004. Perhaps most importantly, she is a dynamic person who has the ability to connect with people and has such enthusiasm for her work.

As Georgia's population increases, so does the demand for physicians and other health care professionals, says Dr. Martin. Augusta University's expansion in southeast Georgia enables that part of the state to play a greater role in meeting this important challenge. I am privileged to help. The new residential clinical campus that Dr. Martin is helping to lead is a cooperative endeavor including hospitals and physicians throughout southeast Georgia. It gives second- and third- year medical students an opportunity to work alongside experienced physicians.

Dr. Martin does not hold a medical degree, but is an outstanding example of the importance of skills learned in the Master of Public Administration program. She directed health services administration and program development for the master of public health program at Mercer Medical School, and was deputy director and clerkship coordinator for Georgia Statewide Area Health Education Centers.

"I am a Research and Programs Associate for The Syria Institute (TSI), a nonprofit research institution in Washington, D.C., dedicated to gathering and reporting accurate information about the Syrian conflict. TSI is a very small organization, so I have a wide variety of duties. The research side of my work requires regional and linguistic skills, where I communicate with Syrians on the ground, and track military, political, and humanitarian developments in country. But the other half of my job is administrative. I hire and oversee interns, process payroll, search for grants, manage social media accounts, respond to media requests, and publish daily and periodic research. I am helping a nonprofit research institute grow, stretching my educational expertise to its limits on a daily basis. My MPA gave me a solid foundation which helps me rise to those challenges."