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Message from the Director

Leadership matters in all walks of life, but leadership in public life has unique challenges. As Senator Hatfield frequently observed, "leaders create the kind of visions that generate passion, build support, test courage and ultimately succeed in transforming visions into lasting legacies for future generations. This is what makes public service leadership so special." The Hatfield School's Executive MPA Program has been designed for the committed and talented few who wish to play this kind of strategic leadership role in public service organizations.

While the challenges of doing this work are daunting, the opportunities to make a difference have never been greater. Public organizations are being "thinned" by large numbers of retirements, by shrinking budgets, by increased performance expectations and by policy and jurisdictional complexities that frustrate easy policy and administrative solutions. Success increasingly requires "leading in a power-shared world".

Our Executive MPA Program uses a leadership model developed by our Hatfield School's very successful Executive Leadership Institute, which over the last 20 years has successfully provided leadership development program for senior executives for dozens of public sector agencies at all levels of government. This model recognizes the uniqueness of public service and the need for senior executives to master the art of leading in a power-shared world. In becoming a member of our Executive Program, you will join a small and high performing learning community who will be well prepared to assume the highest levels of strategic leadership responsibility in our public organizations. You will also enjoy a unique learning environment that sets our Executive MPA Program apart from traditional graduate level education experiences.

I invite you to explore the program website and the many outstanding opportunities that will be available to you as a member of the Hatfield School community.

Best Regards,

Ronald L. Tammen, Director Mark O. Hatfield School of Government College of Urban and Public Affairs Portland State University