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Schar School in the News
Schar School’s Terrorism Center Joins International Conservation Union to Combat Wildlife and Conservation Crimes
January 19, 2021
Schar School Adds Intelligence Expert, Author, TV Commentor David Priess to Faculty
January 13, 2021
Schar School Partners with UiPath for Robotic Process Automation Initiative
January 11, 2021
Despite Life’s Daunting Challenges, Schar School Senior Cassidy Whitehurst Thrives at Mason
January 06, 2021

Upcoming Events
Hayden Center Event - The Assault on Intelligence: After Trump (1/26)
January 26, 2021
George Hutchinson Oral Defense of Dissertation Proposal in Public Policy (1/28)
January 28, 2021
Race and Social Justice Colloquia (2/4)
February 04, 2021
Virtual Resume Clinic (2/4)
February 04, 2021
Recent Tweets

#Biden’s inaugural address linked prosperity to civic virtue. @ScharSchool’s @StevePearlstein analyzed the address in an op-ed for the @washingtonpost. “The pluralistic ideal lies at the core of Biden’s summons to national unity.” https://t.co/UXIeUJabx4 pic.twitter.com/kMD6pffwI9

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Will the same happen to #Trump? @ScharSchool’s @jomaburt discussed #Peru’s ex-head of state being held accountable in court with @newrepublic. Peru showed “its citizens that its system of justice is capable of prosecuting even the most powerful.” https://t.co/WC5VSpUsO3 pic.twitter.com/KYH96ASO9R

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Under #Biden, America has rejoined the @WHO. @ScharSchool’s @SaskiaPopescu tells @Forbes: “I’m truly happy to see that the Biden-Harris administration has prioritized rejoining the WHO.” It’s a good signal to our global partners. https://t.co/J5uGBnNROW pic.twitter.com/ODyGFuLfyj

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

As #Biden takes office, he’s expected to issue many orders during his first 100 Days. @ScharSchool’s @MarkJRozellGMU writes in @thehill that this will “showcase that their elections resulted in meaningful and nearly immediate change.” https://t.co/hWWvrorMZR pic.twitter.com/WwRd1ZBnNP

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Is #Biden’s new #Climate team the most powerful yet? It depends. @ScharSchool’s James Pfiffner tells @nytimes that “Certainly, they can be powerful, but only to the extent that their policy area is of primary importance to the president.” https://t.co/WA9tLrY1G4 pic.twitter.com/4DGua1rqZj

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Need to rent? Prices have dropped since March, when #COVID hit us hard. @ScharSchool’s Terry Clower tells @ARLnowDOTcom that it’s definitely due to the #pandemic. “Most of the jobs that we have lost… are typically disproportionately renters.” https://t.co/tpGg8EgTfL pic.twitter.com/pBhRYKN7Yt

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Someone go out and please tell @SenSanders that class @ScharSchool and @GeorgeMasonU don't start until Monday!
(HT @deltondaigle) pic.twitter.com/hdBtQBorir

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

#Congratulations to @AndrwLight for his appointment to lead #Biden's Office of International Affairs @ Department of Energy as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs. We look forward to seeing you in the classroom when your term is over. pic.twitter.com/pvJPopfchu

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

As #Biden takes office in a few hours, we can look back at #Trump's "economic nationalism" as described by @ScharSchool's Kenneth Reinert @thehill. "Trump’s economic nationalism was largely empty talk. Where it involved action, it was the wrong kind." https://t.co/yh5gdWW5Ow pic.twitter.com/boOlHSxWw4

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 20, 2021

What are the pros and cons of living in a state’s capital? Ask @ScharSchool’s Katrin Anacker. Indicators include professional opportunities, affordable housing, decent transportation, infrastructure, amenities, and weather. https://t.co/5qEgUJJJ4t pic.twitter.com/OWgkGP0KNC

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 19, 2021
Home » News & Events » Latest News » Alumna Spotlight: Master’s in Public Administration Alumna Police Chief Erin Schaible

Alumna Spotlight: Master’s in Public Administration Alumna Police Chief Erin Schaible

By Buzz McClain June 25, 2020

Schar School Master’s in Public Administration alumna Erin Schaible in front of the Fairfax County Police Department.

Schar School Master’s in Public Administration alumna Erin Schaible in front of the Fairfax County Police Department.Erin Schaible’s original goal was to be a fashion designer. Armed with a bachelor of science in clothing and textiles, she set out for the Fashion District of New York City to make her mark, but as things happen in the Big Apple, Schaible’s interests morphed from designing to retail, and then to retail security, which she found fascinating. The security officers, she said, “were having so much fun catching people stealing things. And that’s how I sort of found my way into law enforcement.” 

After retiring in 2018 with 28 years with the Fairfax County Police Department—rising to the rank of Deputy Chief of Patrol—Schaible was named in 2019 as Chief of Police for the Fairfax City Police Department, becoming the first woman to run the 66-officer department.

While an advanced degree was not a requirement for either of her promotions in Fairfax County or the job with Fairfax City, Schaible earned a Master’s in Public Administration in 2007 from the Schar School of Policy and Government.

The degree, she said, was “a ‘bucket list’ sort of thing. It seems really intimidating to get your master’s, but I like challenges.”

The challenges abounded. Not only was she putting in the considerable work to get a master’s degree, she was also working as a duty officer in Fairfax County. Her shifts consisted of “one month of midnights, one month of daywork—and I didn’t have an office,” she said. She studied assignments in her police cruiser and attended class in her police uniform after completing her patrol. (Her classmates gave her the “Most Likely to Respond to a Major Incident” award.)

On top of her demanding police work, she had three children under the ages of five, quite the handful for her and her husband, Lance, a captain with the Fairfax County police force.

But her Schar School professors and her county supervisors provided the flexibility she needed to complete her degree, she said.

“Erin was one of those students who started out strong and then got better,” said public administration professor James Burroughs. “She is all about service over self, and those qualities have been recognized during her career…Those of us who have known her simply said ‘when and where will she become chief of police?’ There was never a thought of ‘if.’”

A highlight for Schaible was a study abroad trip to the Netherlands, where she saw first-hand how government agencies in that nation work together. “For me, it was really powerful,” she said. “I got a lot from that.”

Other things she learned as a master’s student stay with her, even a dozen years later. The academic rigor “helped me tremendously in organizing my thoughts,” she said. “Even now, when I do a ‘needs assessment’ for the agency, having the experience of the master’s program—writing papers and organizing your thoughts and being able to come up with a well-thought-out solution to a problem—is immensely helpful. You’re able to demonstrate your needs and logically show it and articulate why.”

Schaible said she stays in touch with some of her study cohorts from Mason, and Burroughs said she’s “really supportive of our current MPA students in helping to plan and speaking at our Local Government Night,” which brings regional leaders to the classroom.

As for getting a master’s degree, the chief said she would do it again. “I recommend it to everybody,” she said. “It’s a really positive experience. If I can do it in the situation I was in, you can do it, if you really put your mind to it.”

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