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A few minutes before guests arrived at the Cabrera Global Center at George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus, Schar School of Policy and Government Associate Professor James N. Burroughs glanced down at the RSVP list for the evening. “Twenty years of memories are on this list,” he said wistfully.
The occasion was a reunion of graduates of the Northern Virginia Public Service Fellows program, a Master of Public Administration degree program led by Burroughs and designed for mid-career professionals employed by regional governments. Applicants are nominated and sponsored by their employing agency and vetted by a panel of public human resources managers before acceptance.
The goal of the degree is to prepare tomorrow’s local government leaders with specific skills for key roles in a wide range of agencies. Graduates include chiefs of police, budget directors, equity and inclusion officers, environment officials, mental health administrators, public safety and courts managers, and state legislators, among other positions. (Three recognizable names include District of Columbia Police Spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, Fauquier County Sheriff Jeremy Falls, and Virginia State Senator Jeremy S. McPike [D-Prince William].)
Those graduates are doing well, not just for themselves but for the public they serve: A 2019 survey by news outlet 24/7 Wall Street calculated that five Northern Virginia jurisdictions led by cohort graduates were in the top 20 best places to live in the country.
More than 50 graduates attended the June 16 reunion, with members ranging from Cohort No. 2, from 2004, to Cohort No. 16 (Cohort No. 18 starts in late August). More than 300 have graduated from the program since its inception, in class sizes ranging from 15 to 25.
“What’s remarkable is the classmates end up as friends,” Burroughs said. “They become a support network for each other as they advance in their careers.”
“The friendships endure after graduation,” said Darcy Kipp Kim, director of outpatient services for HCA Healthcare and vice president for alumni engagement with the Mason Alumni Association. “This is much more than a community service commitment. It has been the best part of my professional life.”
Mallory Stribling graduated with Cohort No. 16 in May and recently began a new position as director of management and budget for Fauquier County. She was wrapping up her studies when she was interviewed for the position that serves a growing suburban and rural population of about 75,000. The MPA degree and the insights she was gaining from the classes were topics of conversation during the comprehensive interview process, she said.
“It was a huge part of my interview, talking about all the courses and the leadership skills that I gained,” she said. “And truly, it was the confidence I gained from the program over the last 3 years that, I think, prepared me to step into the role.”
And what was her favorite part of the MPA program?
“The cohort,” she said. “The relationships we formed. I’m very close with people from different jurisdictions,” even to the point of “pulling in one of my cohort classmates to help solve a recent county issue.”
During his remarks, Burroughs admitted to being genuinely touched by the reunion and the ongoing relationships among the classmates and himself.
And as it happens, Burroughs is a graduate of the program he leads. He graduated from Mason with an MPA degree in 1994.