Policy, Planning, & Management
special Recognitions
Outstanding Student
Outstanding Capstone
Nicole Record
Heidi Mccarthy
graduates
Master's degree in Policy, Planning, & Management
Sarah Macy
Nicole Record
Joe Sanderson
More about Sarah
Plans for after graduation:
I intend to continue my work in municipal government and am aspiring towards management or planning positions specifically in the future.
Favorite course & professor:
I fully expected my least favorite courses to be budgeting and finance and applied statistics and data analysis with Professor LaPlante, and they ended up being among my favorite courses, shockingly. Other favorites include any courses taken with Professor McDonnell and the Introduction to ArcGIS course with Professor Youngs
More about Joe
Plans for after graduation:
I am seeking a position with a local nonprofit in the education sector, specifically working to increase opportunities for underrepresented groups to technical careers.
Favorite course & professor:
I enjoyed my classes with Professor McDonald and Professor Zollitsch very much. Organizational Leadership, Grant Writing, and Introduction to ArcGIS were my favorite courses.
Steve Langlin
Reaching out to and learning about other alumni. Muskie graduates are very tight-knit and share a common bond. They're always willing to talk with you, whether it's about their experiences in the program or their career trajectory. I found these discussions invaluable in affirming my decision to attend graduate school at Muskie.
Megan E. Mansfield-Pryor
Enjoyed connecting with Professor Picardy on food policy, hope there may be opportunities for collaboration with Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in the future on food waste reduction/food rescue.
Jayne Foley
I was able to participate in internships and talk to a variety of interesting real world professionals.
More about Steve
Plans for after graduation:
Legislative Analyst with Maine State Legislature
Favorite course:
Economics and Public Policy
More about Megan
Plans for after graduation:
Continue working for Maine DEP as an environmental specialist, and enjoy more time with family
More about Jayne
Favorite course:
Food Planning/Policy and Government, Democracy and Public Policy
Meredith Cook
Sara Conant
Katherine Johnston
More about Meredith
Plans for after graduation:
I will continue to attend the University of Maine School of Law. In addition to finishing my MPPM this year, I also finished my first year of law school during the 2020-2021 academic year. This summer I have been selected to be the Bernstein District Court Fellow at the Lewiston District Court.
Favorite course & professor:
Applied Policy Analysis with Brenda Zollitsch
More about Sara
Plans for after graduation:
I will continue my work with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program here in Cumberland County.
More about Katherine
Plans for after graduation:
After graduation I plan on continuing in my full-time role doing research and advocacy for Educate Maine.
Favorite course & professor:
State and Regional Economic Development with Ryan Wallace (Spring 2018) was fantastic. There was no shortage of real world scenarios to relate to our learning, class conversations were always engaging, and we learned a lot of practical data-oriented skills. I would take that class again if I could.
Sigrid Olson
Andrew Watson
Craig Slavin
More about Sigrid
Favorite professor:
Joe McDonald is my favorite professor. He made you think. Without ever challenging my opinions, he changed some of them.
More about Andrew
Plans for after graduation:
Currently I am looking for a job and have applied to four municipalities for town planner and other positions. I am traveling to visit my father and sisters (and nieces) in Reno, NV in June after my second vaccination.
Favorite professor:
Professor Bampton and Professor Kim
More about Craig
Favorite course:
Applied Policy Analysis
Heidi McCarthy
Angela Holmes
More about Heidi
Plans for after graduation:
In the immediate future, I plan to build a program evaluation and data collection consultancy while continuing my economic development work. Eventually, I would like to become an academic.
Favorite course & professor:
Although I’m grateful for each class and professor who helped me gain valuable knowledge and skills, three professors in particular have impacted my professional and academic abilities and aspirations. When my teaching schedule didn’t line up with the timeline of the internship program, Dr. Carolyn Ball worked with me and the graduate studies office to ensure I would still be able to take part. This internship led directly to my current position in Economic Development, helping me realize my goal of transitioning out of teaching. Dr. Dahlia Lynn Handman has been an excellent advisor and professor. Her instructive and constructive feedback has helped me become a more thoughtful and discerning researcher and writer. I’m also appreciative of her willingness to discuss and provide guidance on my academic career aspirations. Finally, I appreciated Dr. Brenda Zollitsch’s practical teaching style and rigorous classes. I have used grant-writing techniques learned in her class to help bring approximately $5 million in grant funds to the City of Lewiston, just one of many ways I have applied knowledge from her classes in my professional life. She continues to be a mentor to whom I can reach out for assistance and advice. I’m truly thankful for and consider it a great privilege to have participated in the MPPM program. It has positively impacted my life immeasurably.
More about Angela
Plans for after graduation:
I was recently appointed as the Assistant City Administrator & City Clerk for Westbrook, Maine, and plan to continue serving in local government.
Favorite professor:
Prof. Joseph McDonnell & Dr. Brenda Zollitsch - it's always a pleasure to work with people who absolutely love what they do.
additional MPPM graduates
Eva Arbor
Hannah Bonine
Samantha Hanson
Tamara Hunt
Erin Ludwig
Mareisa Weil
Alana Shapiro
Joanna Benoit
Ahmed Sheikh
Norman Maze Jr.
Adam Davis
Neal Goldberg
Rob McCann
Katherine Kiblansky
certificate of graduate study - applied research & evaluation methods
j p olish
As a New Mainer, I struggled to resume my professional career here. I was fortunate to connect with the Muskie School at USM through Dr. Firooza Pavri. The Muskie School provided me with all the necessary resources to reinvent myself to fit the local high competitive job market.
certificate of graduate study - community planning & sustainable development
Izaak Onos
Students: Fill out this form to share a photo and something about your Muskie School experience.