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

Asked by Sarah

When and why did you decide to study public policy leadership?

See Gregory’s Answer

Augustus (Gus) Maples

Asked by Miguel

What is it like working on Capitol Hill?

See Augustus (Gus)’s Answer

John Jenks

Asked by Dmitri

Please discuss highlights of your undergraduate experience.

See John’s Answer

Natalie King Gallagher

Asked by Malik

Please talk about your path since graduation and career goals at this point.

See Natalie’s Answer

Christian Bonds

Asked by Lily

Why did you decide to study public policy leadership?

See Christian’s Answer

Alumni 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