MPA Mentor and Co-Leader of the Intergovernmental and Community Relations Team, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Doug is a Co-Leader of the Intergovernmental and Community Relations Team for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He is responsible for the management, control and efficiency of the region’s intergovernmental and Congressional relations program, and regional community outreach programs.
Additionally, Doug serves as City Councilor in the City of Quincy, MA. He has also been President of the Quincy City Council and an adjunct faculty member at Suffolk University. Doug is a member of the Massachusetts Municipal Association Board of Directors and a Trustee of The Boston Harbor Association.
He recalls his decision to pursue a MPA from Suffolk University: “After 5 years at the EPA, I knew that an advanced degree in law or public administration would help me to advance in a public service career. Suffolk’s ties to the State House, talented professors, and its MPA curriculum in state and local government, seemed perfectly suited to help me gain the skills necessary to understand governance, program, and policy considerations at all levels of government and prepare me for a future run for elective office in my hometown of Quincy.
The professors, both tenured and adjunct, mixed theory with practice and helped me to understand how to think creatively in a manner that allows government to work for those we serve. [Suffolk’s MPA Program] enabled me to understand my agency and its mission in a broader context, and gave me new skills and confidence to continue to advance and learn.
In addition, my peers in the program are now my peers in government at all levels; in many states and jurisdictions. They have expanded my professional network exponentially and many remain close friends.
The context and curriculum have made me a better-rounded public servant. The journey of graduate school has better shaped my ability to make good decisions, and understand more concretely my short and long term career goals.
I firmly believe that I would not have had the opportunities for advance in the federal government, nor been prepared to run for City Council without the education provided through Suffolk University’s MPA Program. I’m challenged every day. I have an opportunity to effectuate positive change at the federal, state, and local level. I call upon the skills I learned in the classroom on a regular basis.”
Doug has been an invaluable addition to the mentoring program. He is one of many excellent alumni eager to share their knowledge, expertise and advice with current MPA students at Suffolk.