Project Manager and Senior Corporate Analyst, Government of Canada
Graduate Program in Public Policy, Administration & Law, Master of Public Policy, Administration and Law (MPPAL) 2020

Tell prospective students a bit about the work you do.

I've been with the federal government since 2013 taking on various assignments throughout my public service career ranging from risk management, business intelligence, internal audit to project management. While working full-time as a Project Manager & Senior Corporate Analyst, and doing the MPPAL program part-time at York, I was handling two different sets of portfolios in my job.

First, I manage a team in planning and executing a national executive development and networking project that provides a platform for federal public servants to directly interact and tap into the knowledge and expertise of senior executives. Second, I am part of an internal audit compliance team where, through national audits/reviews/special projects, we examine the Agency’s controls, governance, and business processes to provide assurance to the Board of Management that the Agency’s programs and/or operations are working effectively and efficiently as intended.

Tell prospective students a bit about how your studies at York helped you to get where you are today.

One thing that you’ll notice as you embark on your own MPPAL journey is how unique the courses are in their own way. I personally found that the content of the MPPAL courses in addition to the individuals I met in my cohort helped diversify my knowledge of the public service. It opened up my mind even more than pre-MPPAL time.

In my two years completing the MPPAL program, I found the classroom discussions to be quite fruitful as they enabled our cohort to share best practices and learn new things from one another. I’ve lost count as to how many times our professors found the group discussions to be so enriching that they didn’t want to interrupt us to continue with the lectures. Don’t get me wrong – it’s the lectures that drove our cohort to have intense discussions on the topic being taught. In fact, I would add that the classroom discussions contributed to our cohort building new long lasting friendships, which I’m sure as prospective students like yourselves, will get to experience.

While there may be times that you find the number of assignments overwhelming, just know that it will all pay off in the end and set you up for even more success! As well, your cohort is a great support system.