Careers & Alumni
What can you do with a Public Policy Leadership degree after graduation? Find out from a few of our alums.
Public Policy Leadership Careers
Our graduates establish such a wide range of careers and become leaders of their organizations because of the core set of skills at the heart of our liberal arts education.
A liberal arts education at UM will empower and prepare students to deal with complexity, diversity, and change through a broad knowledge of the world. Liberal Arts is everything you care about most:
- Writing and speaking with confidence and skill
- Critical thinking
- Quantitative skills and data analysis
- Celebrating human expression through the arts
- Navigating complex moral and ethical situations
- Engaging the power of your citizenship
- Discovering solutions to the pressing issues facing our world
Our graduates …
... working in many different sectors of the economy, with the largest percentages working in education, law, business and finance, STEM, arts & culture, community services/non-profits, and government.
- Flight Commander, ICBM Targeting, US Air Force
- Field Rep. and General Counsel, US Senate
- US Senate Comm. on Appropriations, US Defense Subcommittee
- International Dev. Specialist, US Dept of State
- Staff, US Senate Appropriations Transportation & HUD
- Legislative Assistant, US Senator Richard Shelby
- Policy Analyst for CFO, US Dept of Homeland Security
- College Savings Plans & Policy Dir, MS Office of the State Treasurer
- Development Project Facilitator, City of Denton
- Asst. to Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, US Dept of Education
- Press Secretary, Office of Senator Roger Wicker
- Aide-de-Camp, Office of Governor Bryant
- Assistant City Planner, City of Starkville
- Dir. of Member Services, House Republican Conference
- Staff Attorney, Mississippi Dept of Revenue
- Communications Coordinator, Office of Al Gore
- Policy Advisor, State Treasurer Lynn Fitch
- Campaign Manager, Buck Clarke for Treasurer
- Analyst, MS State Legislature
- Sr. Operations Manager, US Chamber of Commerce
- Researcher, UNITE HERE
- Grant Support Assoc., Urban Partnerships-Community Dev Corp.
- Policy Analyst, Republican Governor’s Association
- Existing Industry Coord., Augusta Econ Dev Authority
- Research & Policy Analyst, Greater New Orleans, Inc.
- Law Fellow, Southern Poverty Law Center
- Exec. Committee, Democratic National Comm.
- Dir. of Federal Affairs, Medical Device Manufacturers Assoc.
- Digital Media Relations Manager, Natl Restaurant Assoc.
- Dir. of State Affairs, Natl. Assoc. of Health Underwriters
- Backcountry Trails Program Crew, CA Conservation Corps Found.
- Donor Relations Officer, Amer. Veterans Center, Amer. Studies Center
- Manager of West Coast Partnerships, Health Leads
- Chief Financial Officer, Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center
- Human Resources Leader, Charles Koch Institute
- Academic Mentor, UM FASTrack program
- Internal Medicine Specialist, UMMC
- Development and Alumni Relations, Vanderbilt
- Private Wealth Project Specialist, Baker & Hostetler
- Associate Attorney, Brad Morris Law Firm
- Victim/Witness Program Asst, Charlottesville Attorney’s Office
- Associate Attorney, Squire Patton Boggs
- Law Clerk, US Court of Appeals
- Senior Associate, KPMG
- Agency Marketing Dir, MassMutual N. Carolina
- Government & Policy Affairs, Transamerica
- Associate, Chism Strategies
- Workforce Solution Consultant, Kronos
- Project Manager, Delta Health Alliance
- Senior Program Asst, DELTA Resources
- Co-Founder, The Bell
- Programmer-Social Media Buyer, Frontier Media Strategies
- Communications Manager-East Coast, Lyft
- Legal Solutions Consultant, Lexis Nexis
- East Coast Communications Manager, Lyft
Alumni with Careers in the Public Sector
Gregory Alston
When and why did you decide to study public policy leadership?
See Gregory’s Answer
Augustus (Gus) Maples
What is it like working on Capitol Hill?
See Augustus (Gus)’s Answer
John Jenks
Please discuss highlights of your undergraduate experience.
See John’s Answer
Natalie King Gallagher
Please talk about your path since graduation and career goals at this point.
See Natalie’s Answer
Christian Bonds
Why did you decide to study public policy leadership?
See Christian’s AnswerAlumni with Careers in the Private Sector
Katherine Sistrunk
What made you interested in the healthcare field?
See Katherine’s Answer
Austin Spindler
Please talk about your path since graduation.
See Austin’s Answer
Christine Dickason
What sparked your interest in public service?
See Christine’s Answer
Daniel Roberts
What was it like working in the social office of Michelle Obama?
See Daniel’s Answer
Keveon Taylor
What were highlights of your undergraduate experience?
See Keveon’s Answer
Austin Harrison
When and why did you decide to study public policy leadership?
See Austin’s Answer