Kayleigh Vocca

Title: Continuous Improvement Specialist II

Employer:  The City and County of Denver, Denver, CO

Degree & graduation year: Master of Public Policy and Administration, 2021

What I do: My work focuses on helping public servants innovate their day-to-day processes by guiding them through applying a continuous improvement-based methodology process for problem-solving.

How I ended up working there: I began my career in local government through a fellowship program with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). This allowed me to narrow down my areas of interest as I was exposed to different departments, experiences, and networking opportunities. I found my current job posting through LinkedIn and I had met the director of the team previously, so I reached out to her for more information on the position, which turned into my first interview.

The best part of my job: To help lead the people who do the work to make meaningful change, which in turn breaks down bureaucratic silos and promotes good governance.

A recent exciting work experience: Since August, my coworker and I have been leading a citywide project alongside the Department of Safety for the Mayor’s Office that uses Place Network Investigation (PNI) to identify hotspots across the city. The process revolves around gathering agencies and stakeholders across the city to identify opportunities for project-based coordination to impact harms through a people-based and location-based solution lens. The ultimate goal is to reduce untimely deaths and related causes by applying for an interventive and preventative program.

How the School of Public Policy prepared me for my career: SPP gave me the case analysis and data analysis skills needed to look at citywide problems through a public policy lens – allowing me to develop all-encompassing and equitable recommendations.

Advice to students considering a degree in public policy: Try to find what niche of public policy or public administration you find the most interest in. This will help narrow down your scope when applying to jobs and networking.

Future plans: In the short term, I want to continue this work, as it brings me joy and fulfillment and doesn’t make me feel like I am always “working”. In the longer term, I plan to stay in local government while having vertical career growth by moving into a future position that leads people and programs to better government.

Posted February 2023