SPA In The News

July 2023

Huge congratulations to the MURP alumni who passed the Spring 2023 AICP exam! We are so proud of Taylor Hague.

January 2023

Braulio Colón, MPA '10 was named the new Executive Director of the Florida College Access Network (FCAN), which is a statewide community impact organization that works to improve college access and success for all students. He will provide strategic leadership for FCAN, which is hosted by USF, with proven expertise in partnership development to increase successful outcomes for students and ensure a pathway to economic mobility for all Floridians. Congratulations to Braulio as he brings a wealth of experience in higher education and workforce development, as well as strong ties to the university, which will be invaluable in this position!

Huge congratulations to the three MURP alumni who passed the Fall 2022 AICP exam! We are so proud of Amanda Harig, Kayla Huetten, and Dayna Lazarus.

November 2022

Pi Alpha Alpha is a global honor society that recognizes alumni who demonstrate outstanding academic scholarship and achievement in public administration, public policy, and public affairs. Its objectives, such as fostering integrity, professionalism, and effective performance, promote the advancement of quality in the education and practice of the art and science of public affairs and administration. Pi Alpha Alpha membership identifies those with the highest performance levels in educational programs preparing them for public service careers.

2022 inductees: Katherine Bleakly, MPA '21; Scott Burrows Jr., MPA '21; Cayla Duckworth, MPA '21; Sharon Hamisak, MPA '22; Octavia Jarnegan, MPA '21; Edward Lewis, MPA '21; Gertrude McDaniel, MPA '22; Humayra Qadir, MPA '21; Shelley Rossetter, MPA '21; Bryan Skorczewski, MPA '22; and Christina Stevens, MPA '22.

July 2022

Huge congratulations to the ten MURP alumni who passed the Spring 2022 AICP exam! We are so proud of Corinn Beem, Carl Benge, Brandon Berry, Waldo Carbo, Gerald Galloway, Megan Nixon, Lauren O'Neill, Andrea Papandrew, Alex Steady, and Nicole Tremblay.

June 2022

Scott Burrows, MPA '21 and Kaitlyn Stelzer, MPA '21 were awarded the 2022 Emerging Leaders Conference Scholarship, which is offered to public administration students or entry-level city/county management staff interested in continuing their academic and professional development as local government administrators.

November 2021

Stephen Benson, MURP '12, AICP was appointed as the City of Tampa's Director of the City Planning Department. In this role, he will continue to lead the city's comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to guiding growth, land use development, and redevelopment, and advance citywide planning initiatives that support the Transforming Tampa's Tomorrow (T3) strategic plan. Stephen has over a decade of experience in urban planning and land use policy, and has served as the City's Chief Planner since October 2020. We could not be more proud of Stephen, who is also Vice Chair of the USF MURP Advisory Committee and an all around dear friend to the MURP program!

June 2021

Ratna Okhai, MPA '15 was awarded the 2021 Raymond C. Sittig Scholarship, which was established in 2014 in honor of Raymond C. Sittig, a long-time executive director of the Florida League of Cities (FLC). This scholarship honors Mr. Sittig's respect for the profession and his desire to build a strong relationship between the Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) and the Florida League of Cities (FLC).

March 2021

Pi Alpha Alpha is a global honor society that recognizes alumni who demonstrate outstanding academic scholarship and achievement in public administration, public policy, and public affairs. Its objectives, such as fostering integrity, professionalism, and effective performance, promote the advancement of quality in the education and practice of the art and science of public affairs and administration. Pi Alpha Alpha membership identifies those with the highest performance levels in educational programs preparing them for public service careers.

2021 inductees: Richard Alvarez, MPA '20; Reginald Dagsa, MPA '19; Samantha Genske-Condon, MPA '20; Boniswa Joseph, MPA '20; Michael McLaughlin, MPA '19; and Nailia Ogunnaike, MPA '20.

September 2020

Katrina Corcoran, MURP '17 was voted as the Chair-Elect of the Sun Coast Section of the American Planning Association (APA) Florida Chapter, and Troy Salisbury, MPA '13 is one of two Professional Development Officers. Our graduates continue to make an impact!

Ron Pierce, MPA '10 President and CEO of RSA Consulting Group, LLC was selected as a recipient of the 2020 USF Fast 56 Award. This prestigious award recognizes and celebrates the world's 56 fastest growing USF Bull-owned businesses. RSA is a full-service consulting firm that specializes in all areas of government and legislative affairs, community affairs, strategic planning, as well as media and public relations in Florida. Congratulations to Ron and his team on this impressive achievement and well-deserved recognition!

September 2019

Pi Alpha Alpha is a global honor society that recognizes alumni who demonstrate outstanding academic scholarship and achievement in public administration, public policy, and public affairs. Its objectives, such as fostering integrity, professionalism, and effective performance, promote the advancement of quality in the education and practice of the art and science of public affairs and administration. Pi Alpha Alpha membership identifies those with the highest performance levels in educational programs preparing them for public service careers.

2019 inductees: Choung Mi Akehurst, MPA '18; Stephen Mallory, MPA '19; Evelin Ocampo, MPA '18; Sasha Oliver, MPA '19; Megan Orlando, MPA '18; Lourdes Rodriguez, MPA '18; Alexis Searfoss, MPA '19; and Janae Thomas, MPA '18.

August 2019

Zoe Jenkins, MPA '18 won a prestigious International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Local Government Management Fellowship with Jefferson County, Colorado. The ICMA Fellowship is a nation-wide career-development opportunity that places Fellows in full-time local government management-track positions and provides them with rotational assignments and mentorship from senior government leaders. Congratulations to Zoe on this tremendous career opportunity!

April 2019

Emily Colón, MPA '14 was hired as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Lakeland. In this role, she contributes to the budgeting and strategic planning processes, provides recommendations about departments under her supervision, and helps the city manager and city council in their decision-making process on broader issues. Emily previously gained experience at the local, state, and federal levels working in Internal Services for a Board of County Commissioners, as a Florida Gubernatorial Fellow, in Constituent Services for a U.S. Senator, and in a City Manager's office. Congratulations to Emily as this is a result of her hard work and relentless efforts to excel in her career!

April 2018

Pi Alpha Alpha is a global honor society that recognizes students who demonstrate outstanding academic scholarship and achievement in public administration, public policy, and public affairs. Its objectives, such as fostering integrity, professionalism, and effective performance, promote the advancement of quality in the education and practice of the art and science of public affairs and administration. Pi Alpha Alpha membership identifies those with the highest performance levels in educational programs preparing them for public service careers.

2018 inductees: Sarah Balmer, MPA '16; Lana Beck, MPA '16; Joanna Boruk, MPA '17; Donald Call, MPA '17; Elizabeth Cardenas, MPA '17; Gaylen Charles, MPA '17; Hailey Glynn, MPA '16; Lisa Hendrickson, MPA '16; Marisa Hoefs, MPA '16; James Jacobs, MPA '16; Dorian Karp, MPA '16; Janae Mason, MPA '16; Jared Ochs, MPA '17; Carol Purchell, MPA '17; Mathew Scalise, MPA '17; and Douglas Smith, MPA '16.

February 2018

Mara Latorre, MURP '16 wrote an article on how to plan an artistic community in the Winter 2018 edition of the Florida Planning Magazine (turn to pages 16-18), which is a publication of the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA).