Legislative Analyst
Massachusetts Municipal Association
What I do:
I represent the interests of cities and towns in Massachusetts with a focus on transportation, public works, and utilities policy.
How I ended up working there:
I saw the posting on Massterlist, I think, and applied.
The best part of my job:
I absolutely love my job. It’s hard to narrow it down to one thing that I love! That said, I appreciate the opportunity to engage with municipal officials from a wide range of communities, members of the legislature and their staff, advocacy partners, and beyond. I love helping to connect the dots to ensure that cities and towns have the resources they need to thrive.
A recent exciting work experience:
I helped to coordinate a panel of municipal officials to testify at a hearing with the Joint Committee on Transportation on the Chapter 90 bond bill.
Today I toured the wastewater and drinking water facilities in Concord, MA to learn about operations and discuss policy implications of new regulations on drinking water and wastewater discharge.
Our team hosted “Legislative Breakfast” events in four communities. We provided a legislative update with an overview of key legislative topics to municipal officials and legislators and their staff members.
I presented at the Worcester County Highway Association business meeting.
How the School of Public Policy prepared me for my career:
SPP was the perfect prep for my role at MMA. In addition to subject matter knowledge like economics, environmental policy, and other topics I chose to dive into, almost everything I do from day to day I practiced at SPP: policy analysis, research, survey design, memo writing, presentation skills, statistical analysis, etc, all are put to use in my role at MMA.
Advice to students considering a degree in public policy:
The program will give you the foundational skills needed to jump into a number policy-related jobs.
Future plans:
I don’t have my future planned out, but I intend to continue to learn and develop my advocacy and leadership skills. I love the idea putting my skills to work to help communities—especially the cities and towns of western MA.
Photo Credit: Matt Cavanaugh