The International City/County Management Association has recognized Abigail Armstrong, Jillian Cullen, and Myra Ray-Howett with the Local Government Early Career Service Certificate. Abigail, Jillian, and Myra graduate this spring with their Master of Public Administration degrees from the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration.
Abigail Armstrong served as the co-president of the University of Delaware’s ICMA student chapter this school year. Abigail was one of four students who completed a student-led podcast series on green infrastructure on First State Insights, the Institute for Public Administration (IPA) podcast. Abigail interviewed Chris Hauser, the Associate Director of the Delaware Sea Grant, on workforce development for green infrastructure.
“This project allowed me to learn about a subject I was not very familiar with. In conducting this interview, I expanded my understanding of the ever-increasing importance of green infrastructure for local government. Additionally, I utilized my interview skills and learned how to edit a podcast using editing software,” Abby said. “This project is an example of the multidimensional experiences the University of Delaware’s ICMA student chapter offers.”
Abigail is also serving as a 2021 Legislative Fellow with the Delaware General Assembly and previously worked with IPA to support the Redding Consortium for Educational Equity and the Department of Education’s College Application Month.
Jillian Cullen has worked with IPA since September 2019, as a member of the Complete Communities Delaware project team. Jillian ran the Complete Communities social media accounts and created content for the Delaware Complete Communities Planning Toolbox, which aims to help build local government capacity to develop complete-communities planning approaches, community-design tools, and public engagement strategies. The audience for the Delaware Complete Communities Planning Toolbox is local government practitioners within the state of Delaware, particularly those working in community engagement, public health, urban planning, and transportation. Jillian’s work products include content centered around placemaking, green infrastructure, Safe Routes to School, Downtown Development Districts, and public art.
“I am now confident in my ability to lead and manage and can use the knowledge I gathered to assist me in any future position I hold that involves public governance,” said Jillian. “My goal was to understand common public service dilemmas and address them through the development of complete communities content. I am incredibly grateful to have been a member of the Complete Communities Delaware project team and for all the knowledge and skills it helped me develop.”
Myra Ray-Howett (UD MPA '21) served as the UD ICMA's co-president during the 2020–21 academic year. She currently serves as a Legislative Fellow for the House Majority Caucus. As a Public Administration Fellow with IPA, Myra collaborated with the Delaware League of Local Governments to update IPA's Directory of Delaware Municipal Officials. Myra was among the UD ICMA Student Chapter members who presented during the projects and programs showcase during IPA's March 24, 2021 Zoom webinar on Delaware's Natural Infrastructure: Transforming the Environment, Workforce, and Economy.
In summer 2020, Myra served as a Communications Intern with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. As the voice of the Chesapeake Bay Partnership (CBP), Myra worked as part of a team to communicate the policy, science, and data of the CBP and its partners—including local governments. In this role, Myra helped create case studies of environmental best management practices throughout the Chesapeake Watershed. She spotlighted best practice green infrastructure projects implemented by local governments and the options that exist to help fund those projects.
Abigail, Jillian, and Myra received the Local Government Early Career Service Certificate along with 62 other graduates from 17 universities across the country. According to the ICMA website, the certificate “recognizes graduating students in good academic standing who have completed or are in the process of completing a major service project for a local government organization.” Abigail, Jillian, and Myra were nominated for this award by Marcia Scott, the ICMA Student Chapter Faculty Advisors.
