How OHIO's MPA program generates career-building insights

Jamie Carmichael, MPA ’03, started caring for her community early. Growing up, she started one of the first Block Watch programs with the help of her parents and the Columbus Police Department, working to ensure the safety of people in her neighborhood. She began her career as a family case worker in Franklin County, and over the years, has risen through the ranks of state government to her current position as Chief Program Officer at the Ohio Department of Aging.
 

Carmichael credits the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service for giving her the foundation and skill set to get where she is today. “I remember the first informational session [at GVS]. There were all these people there who were much further in their careers than me. I thought there was no way Ohio University would give me a shot. I'm just a case worker, but lo and behold, they took a chance on me.”
 

Carmichael’s path through public service has been shaped by big decisions, unexpected lessons, and lasting relationships. Here’s what she’s taken from each step—and how it continues to guide her work today:

I thought I was going to go into corrections because a lot of people l went to school with ended up going to prison. However, I realized that I wanted to work more directly with folks, so I went to a community corrections program where I would work with long-term offenders to help them re-acclimate themselves into society. I saw how devastating and mentally broken these men were. However, I realized I had to get an advanced degree to really bring about change and implement policy.

I have many family connections with OU, so I was familiar with the school. I just had my daughter, so the ability to take care of her, work full-time, and get a degree was incredible. I couldn’t have done it without the flexibility that the Voinovich School provided.

I had to take a class on nonprofit management, and I was like, “Oh, who cares?” It seemed so foreign to me. I wasn’t interested in learning how to raise money; I wanted to learn how to govern. However, I quickly realized the value of what nonprofits could do in partnership with the government. When I worked on the pandemic response, nonprofits were crucial to our strategy. I had not been exposed to that, which was impactful and still impacts me today in all the work I've been able to do.

There are so many outstanding alumni from the MPA program, and we stay in touch, not just socially. Jeff Van Deusen, now the Assistant Director of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, was in my class. I work with older adults, and one of the first people I called was Jeff when the Kinship Care program was being discussed. “Jeff, what are we going to do?” And because he's in child welfare, he said: “We’re going to do this, this and this.”

I serve on the advisory board for the Voinovich School, and it’s been tremendous with the people I've gotten to connect with, getting the opportunity to give back to the university. OU and all the institutions around Ohio and the country are helping people think critically about governing and community empowerment. People are still doing that work; that work hasn't stopped, and if we keep doing that work, we are enabling a better future.