StateStat Analyst Amber Ivey earned her Master of Professional Studies – Public Administration degree from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and landed her dream job as a result.
When deciding on her graduate education, Ivey was sure she wanted to come to the University of Maryland so that she could further her career after graduation. “I was in the private sector for six years and I liked the efficiency that’s in the private sector, but I realized that I really wanted to get into an area that allowed me to help people and not just contribute to the bottom line.
“The amazing part is that through the program I found the position that I’m in now,” Ivey says. “I heard about StateStat in one of my performance management classes. So, had I not come to Maryland, I may not have ever heard of the program. It helped me a lot.”
As an analyst, Ivey works with agencies in Maryland related to the areas of education, climate, healthcare and the Department of Assessment and Taxation. “We’re the performance management sector of Maryland’s government, so we have monthly meetings with all of our agencies,” she says. “We talk about what’s going on and whether or not the agencies are meeting the overall goals that have been set in place for Maryland. And if they’re not, we help them get the resources they need to move their agencies in the right direction. It’s a really interesting job.”
I think that building that relationship and knowledge base with the same group of people for two years and going through learning about each other’s experiences helped contribute to the overall experience at University of Maryland.Amber Ivey SPP Alumnus
In reflecting on her time in the program, Ivey says the biggest lesson she learned was about relationship building. “Someone taught me probably second semester that it’s important to make friends, network, and actually get involved in the School,” she says. “Don’t just try to make a 4.0. If you get a 3.5, you got a 3.5 and you’re probably employed when you leave because you took the time to build those relationships, and volunteer, and meet with people.”
Ivey says her favorite part of the Master of Professional Studies – Public Administration program was her cohort. “The cohort piece was awesome,” she says. “I think that building that relationship and knowledgebase with the same group of people for two years and going through learning about each other’s experiences helped contribute to the overall experience at University of Maryland.”
She adds that the interactions with SPP staff and faculty also added to her experience. “Michael Goodhart took us on site visits, and being able to have those experiences in my cohort, building those relationships, was really nice,” she says. “And Kenneth Apfel was one of my favorite professors while at Maryland, and the crazy part is that now he’s on Maryland Health Benefit Exchange Board so I still get to interact with him. It’s interesting how the steps continue to align even after you graduate.”