On Friday February 17th, 2023, the Master of Public Administration program hosted its first lunch and learn event of the year. In celebration of the program’s 50th anniversary, the lunch and learn series will feature MPA alumni a few times this year. The first set of speakers featured were Texas State MPA alumni Bradley Barrett (MPA, JD) and Keith O’Herrin (MPA PhD.) who presented to an audience of 22 students and 3 faculty members.
Bradley is the forest environmental coordinator for Klamath National Forest, California. His responsibilities include wildfire response and recovery, incident management, post fire recovery and endangered species management. Barret also highlighted that all projects have been given new priority since the Biden Administration approved $930 million to help the Forest Service curb crisis of wildfires in the western part of the United States. He ended his presentation highlighting the benefits of the job and provided specific tips on how to pursue a career in forest environmental management.
Dr. O’Herrin works in the Union County Planning Department and North Carolina State Extension. His role as an urban forester includes planning, education, and outreach about tree management. O’Herrin explained what being an urban forester is by invoking a health analogy. He equated the urban forester to a public health official and an arborist to a doctor. In addition to promoting public health, urban forestation contributes to economic development by increasing property values, increasing consumer spending in urban areas with shade and aesthetic beauty. O’Herrin provided examples of specific areas over time that have changed due to the addition of more trees and touched on the effects of climate change and natural disasters.
The Q&A portion of the talk focused on the most important skills employed by the speakers in their professions. Both Barrett and Dr. O’Herrin emphasized the importance of open communication, collaboration and stakeholder management as skills that assist them in being effective and successful in their positions.
