SAPA Officer Elections 2012:

Meet the Candidates

NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT: NATHAN ROBY

Nathan is a first year MPA student with a concentration in Public Finance. Nathan spent the spring semester as Treasurer for the Student Association of Policy and Administration (SAPA). As Treasurer, he dedicated is efforts to initiating fundraisers and assisting to organize events. Due to his efforts, and to those on the board, SAPA was able to beat expected fundraising levels for the semester. As President, Nathan hopes to continue with much of the success achieved this year. He plans to work with other board members to set challenging, yet attainable goals, and to fulfill the promise of a student award for service and achievement by years end.

NOMINEE FOR VICE PRESIDENT: STEPHEN OTTINGER

Steve Ottinger is running for the position of SAPA Vice President. An MPA Student, Steve's concentration is State and Local Management with interests in Technology and Communication in Government. He brings to the position a desire to make SAPA a resume-caliber organization, encouraging students can attend for both the entertainment and professional development value. In the role of VP, he would bring extensive knowledge of the Newark area, skills in event planning and fundraising, and techniques of outreach through technology & conventional means. While maintaining a busy schedule, he is always happy to sit down with anyone in the SPPA community to answer questions and resolve issues.

NOMINEE FOR VICE PRESIDENT: KATHRYN LONCZEWSKI

This year, Kathryn has been an involved MA UAPP student concentrating in yard sports and trying to stay off of Facebook long enough to pass her classes. She was lucky enough to be selected to fill the MA UAPP Representative SAPA Board seat starting in September. She has been an active board member in both planning and executing some great SAPA eventsshe helped to put on the Thanksgiving Pot Luck and Holiday Party in the fall, and she expanded her responsibilities for the spring to include representing her program in the Graduate Student Senate and providing student perspectives at faculty meetings. She also currently sits as the not-the-worst player on the SAPA softball team- though this is self-appointed. In serving her board position Kathryn has gone above and beyond to anticipate student needs and collect their input. She put together an info session for students in her program to have a discussion with Dr. Yanich regarding graduation requirements, along with other questions, and has been a constant advocate for increased communication between faculty and students. She has even served as a student representative for the Planning Affinity Group, where she has acted on behalf of the planning concentration students. Kathryn has sought to be a listening ear for her constituents. She believes SAPA exists to give voice to student concerns, provide ongoing development, and offer a social outlet to supplement the academic rigor of our studies. She would be honored to serve as SAPA Vice President, where she would use her experience with SAPA to build upon successful initiatives and advance them when possible. For instance, she strongly supports creating a welcoming environment for new students including summer outreach from returning students and improvements to the new student orientation. She also believes that SAPA must continue to balance a slew of social events with community service and preparation for the professional world. As Vice President, she would be responsible for some aspects of social programming. Some ideas she has include attending the Wilmington First Friday Art Loop, organizing a winter session ski trip, and continued involvement in intramural sports. Kathryn is also an unflinching advocate for dessert options at the Holiday Party. Her unofficial slogan is Let US eat cake She aims to continue SAPAs great mission and function as a resource for students new and old.

NOMINEE FOR TREASURER: CIMONE PHILPOTTS

Cimone Philpotts is currently a first year Masters of Public Administration student concentrating on Public Finance in the University of Delawares School of Public Policy and Administration. She graduated from Spelman College May 2011, where she received her undergraduate degree in Economics. Cimone was actively involved in undergraduate research with the No Child Left Behind Act and its monetary allocations to Tittle I schools. The research measured a public schools performance by the amount of funds allocated per pupil. She has passionately and consistently been serving her community since the age of 15 and her drive to serve still prevails today. Anyone who comes in contact with Cimone automatically knows, sees, and feels, her commitment to public service. She will be an excellent candidate for the SAPA Treasurer Position. Most of Cimones volunteer work is with underprivileged African-American females in programs like Poised Pretty in Pink, Girls Scout, M.A.C.S. (Minorities Achieving Collegiate Success) Foundation, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., G.E.M.S. (Growing and Empowering Myself Successfully) Program, where she mentors and pushes these young girls towards higher education regardless of the cost, field of study, or their race or gender. During her time spent as an intern with the Department of Veterans Affairs she took the initiative to start an outreach committee and participated in an awareness initiative putting together care packages for homeless veterans assuring them that our nation has kept its commitment to them. Cimone is currently a research assistant in two programs in the University of Delawares Institute for Public Administration, the Conflict Resolution Program and the Womens Leadership Development Program. As a research assistant in the Conflict Resolution Program, Cimone has completed training in Basic Mediation and is a certified mediator. In the Womens Leadership Development Program Cimone has gone over and beyond the call of duty. She saw the need for youth to be able to participate in a program like the one offered by the Womens Leadership Development Program and has taken the initiative to create a leadership development program from the ground up targeted towards high school ladies that will pilot April 2012.

As a public servant voluntarily serving her community as well as making a career out of serving her community, Cimone also holds a leadership position on the UD Black Graduate Student Association where she serves as a voice for the UD Graduate students of African descent by organizing mentor/ mentee relationship, social events, community service opportunities, professional development programs, and awareness initiatives such as the I am Trayvon Martin Rally for Justice and Peace. Cimones life orbits around public service. She is thoughtful, charismatic, honest, as well as organized, committed, and dependable. When you add to that her ambition and desire to do the right thing, these are characteristics of a phenomenal young woman public servant and it is for these reasons she is the ideal candidate for the SAPA Treasurer.

NOMINEE FOR SECRETARY: AMA NYAME-MENSAH

Ama Nyame-Mensah is a first year masters candidate in SPPA. Since December of 2011, Ama has had the opportunity to serve as the Secretary to the SAPA Board. If reelected to the Secretary position, Ama will continue to create avenues for students to have access to important information, and aid the Board in fostering positive interactions between the student body and faculty. Ama also hopes to organize and promote more volunteer and community service opportunities, that give students a chance to give back to the Delaware community.

NOMINEE FOR MPA REP: RACHEL LINSTEAD-GOLDSMITH

I am a first-year MPA student specializing in health policy. After studying media literacy at Hampshire College for my undergraduate degree and serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, I worked for several years in non-profit administration, primarily for health care and health advocacy organizations. While working at Philadelphia FIGHT, an HIV/AIDS service organization in Philadelphia providing comprehensive medical treatment, social services and community education, I initiated quality improvement projects, supported research performed at the Jonathan Lax Treatment Center, and managed federal, state and local grant reporting. I later took a position with the Adult Congenital Heart Association, a national patient association for adults born with congenital heart defects. At ACHA I trained patient groups to lobby for research and education funding, managed education programs, and coordinated several multi-center research studies. The main lesson I took from these positions was the importance of privileging patient and caretaker voices and experiences in creating and monitoring administrative structures and mechanisms. In running for the MPA representative position, I hope to encourage and facilitate student voices in UDs Graduate Student Government (formerly the Graduate Student Senate). Because it can be difficult to understand what is at stake and what impact administrative proposals have, my plan would be to put up blog posts after each meeting to review the agenda and ask for comments and questions, utilizing online polls when GSG specifically requests a student response. A link to the blog could be made available in SAPAs weekly newsletter, as well as through the new website. I would still solicit student feedback in-person, using the blog primarily to cast a wider net and provide an easy way to keep up-to-date with GSG activities.

NOMINEE FOR M.A.-UAPP REP: ALLISON RICE

I am standing for the position of the M.A. UAPP Representative for the upcoming term. I am currently a first year MA student who, although I have not hold a position, has been very active in supporting the School of Public Policy and Administration. I have been on multiple information panels, volunteered at the Graduate School Fair, participated in SAPA meetings and events, and have played on the SAPA softball team. I have even attended GSS meetings as a stand-in for our last MA representative. I have generally tried to stay involved with the school, contributing where I feel there is need or when I am asked. Outside of the SPPA I volunteer at the West End House and I am involved with several committees on the Emerging Scholars Material Cultures Symposium.

NOMINEE FOR M.A.-UAPP REP: KATHRYN LONCZEWSKI

This year, Kathryn has been an involved MA UAPP student concentrating in yard sports and trying to stay off of Facebook long enough to pass her classes. She was lucky enough to be selected to fill the MA UAPP Representative SAPA Board seat starting in September. She has been an active board member in both planning and executing some great SAPA eventsshe helped to put on the Thanksgiving Pot Luck and Holiday Party in the fall, and she expanded her responsibilities for the spring to include representing her program in the Graduate Student Senate and providing student perspectives at faculty meetings. She also currently sits as the not-the-worst player on the SAPA softball team- though this is self-appointed. In serving her board position Kathryn has gone above and beyond to anticipate student needs and collect their input. She put together an info session for students in her program to have a discussion with Dr. Yanich regarding graduation requirements, along with other questions, and has been a constant advocate for increased communication between faculty and students. She has even served as a student representative for the Planning Affinity Group, where she has acted on behalf of the planning concentration students. Kathryn has sought to be a listening ear for her constituents. She believes SAPA exists to give voice to student concerns, provide ongoing development, and offer a social outlet to supplement the academic rigor of our studies. She would be thrilled to continue to serve as the MA UAPP Representative, where she has effectively brought student concerns to various faculty as well as the university at large. She would like to work with other board members to promote improvements in the new student orientation, and also looks forward to connecting 2nd year and continuing ed MA students with the incoming cohort. She looks to repeat the question-and-answer session with Dr. Yanich as a yearly feedback mechanism for all students and would like to use the new resource room to provide a space for mentoring initiatives at the start of the year. Kathryn believes that the greatest struggle she has had at this university has been the isolation of simply being a new student in a new place, and she looks to help others with their own transitions- both for those coming in and for those going out into the real world. She looks to use the connections she has made with her own cohort to continue to represent their interests and those of all SPPA students.

NOMINATION FOR M.A.-HP REP: JENNIFER NICHOLS

Jenn is greatly enjoying continuing her education at the University of Delaware where she is studying Historic Preservation with certification in Museum Studies. This year, Jenn has enjoyed her classes, work at the Center for Historic Architecture and Design (CHAD), and becoming a representative for the MA Historic Preservation program in both SAPA and GSS. As this school year comes to a close, Jenn hopes to be re-elected as the MA Historic Preservation Representative for the Student Association of Policy and Administration. As a representative of the MA HP program Jenn regularly attends meetings, plays on SAPAs softball team, joined SAPAs Professional Development Committee, and is pursuing a welcoming initiative for incoming first-year students. Jenn actively participates in class, work, and as a representative. She relates to her fellow students, and is approachable. When other speak, she listens. These traits coupled with Jenns desire to be involved make her a dynamite candidate to represent MA HP. Being a representative is not only an opportunity to be involved but to be a spokesperson for ones academic program. If re-elected Jenn is looking forward to becoming increasingly involved in SAPA, as a representative for her fellow students in voicing concerns, meeting their academic and social needs, and being a part of the UD community.

NOMINEE FOR DISA REP: JENNIFER LAZO

I joined the Disaster Science and Management program as a masters student in the fall of 2011 and received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Southern California in 2009. As an undergraduate, I was involved in many aspects of campus life, including helping USC's emergency managers organize the first Great California Shakeout earthquake drill, acting as the treasurer of the USC Ballroom and Latin Dance Team for two years, and working as a Resident Assistant for freshman students on campus. After graduation I worked for the Los Angeles Region of the Red Cross through the AmeriCorps program. Currently I'm a Graduate Research Assistant with the Disaster Research Center, working with Dr. James Kendra on a study of recent nursing home evacuations. I am running to be the Disaster Science and Management representative of the SAPA board for the 2012-2013 academic year. Currently I serve in this position, having advocated for its creation during the editing of the SAPA constitution that occurred this spring. I have attended all spring Graduate Student Government meetings as the DISA Senator, and am an active member of the Student Life Committee, ensuring that graduate student needs are adequately addressed regarding issues like student fees and transportation issues. My experience representing the program as a panelist at the SPPA conference and at a variety of admissions events demonstrates my interest in ensuring that the DISA program is fully included in the School of Public Policy and Administration. I hope to continue serving in this capacity, representing the needs of the students in the DISA program both in the School of Public Policy and Administration and in the University of Delaware. Thank you for your consideration.

NOMINEE FOR CAREER ENHANCEMENT REP: MATTHEW PARKHURST

I believe I am a good candidate for the Career Enhancement Representative. I feel like I would fit well in this position as I have been relatively active in SAPA for a part-time student for the past year. I try my best to make all meetings and most events, as long as they are not offered on a weekend before 5pm. Not so long ago, I also did my undergraduate at UD so I know the university really well in general. I think that would be an asset to assist first-year students trying to adapt to a new location. As a working professional who is in what hopes to be my last year of graduate studies, I have come to know the program well along with some of those in it, both faculty and fellow students. I know I could assist other part-time/ continuing education students in things like time management and support when things get tough and things will get tough. I ask the question every semester, Why did I decide to do this? but then I am back the next semester. I do not know many of the other part-time students with the exception of those I meet in my classes and I believe that is common with the other part-time students. If I get elected Career Enhancement Representative, I will try to organize a get-together for part-time students twice semester in so that they can meet in a social atmosphere and talk about school, life, and any concerns they may have. When I was an undergraduate at Delaware, I was active in many student groups so I can assure you if I get elected I will be a key asset to the SAPA Board.

NOMINEE FOR PHD REP: DAVID BARNES

David's doctoral research focuses on "Frontier Philanthropy", targeting giving to promote economic development in the most marginalized communities around the world. His master's degree is in regional planning from Chapel Hill, after which he worked in economic develop and business. David is also a pastor and the father of two amazingly wonderful children.