Public Matters Public Administration Magazine, 2018 Page: 17
36 p. : ill.View a full description of this periodical.
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BRION OAKS:
MPA ALUMNUS
AND AUSTIN'S
CHIEF EQUITY
OFFICER
Alumnus Brion Oaks graduated from Texas State Univer-
sity with his MPA in 2005. He's had a celebrated career
with the American Heart Association, winning several
awards for his work representing vulnerable populations
and reducing the disparities in cardiovascular health-
care in regards to prevention and treatment of disease.
His applied research project (ARP), "An Evaluation of the Snack Tax on the Obesity Rate of Maine', was
cited by the World Health Organization in their report "The Effect of Fiscal Policy on Diet, Obesity and
Chronic Disease: A Systematic Review'" Oaks is currently the Chief Equity Officer for the city of Austin,
TX, the first to hold that position. We asked him how the Texas State MPA program helped prepare him
for his career and what advice he has for current and future students:L.0 'Line ".vWApi ogra1I ano t ui p.e esr Ac
(ARP) prepare you for career in public service?
The MPA program at Texas State University definitely prepared
me not only for a career in public service, but also non-prof-
it management. The course work I took in the MPA program
helped me understand the core principles of organizational
management along with strategies to evaluate the impact
and effectiveness of the services and activities one provides.
It also laid a foundation for me to be able to conduct analysis
and research of situations in order to identify the best possi-
ble solutions to a problem.
in the MPA program?
The most valuable and rewarding experience for me in the
MPA program was the completion of my ARP. I'll be honest,
I was so nervous at the beginning of the process to develop
the applied research project. I looked online at so many great
projects students completed before me and really questioned
if I would be capable of doing the same. The guidance and
support from the faculty was invaluable. The ARP was an op-
portunity for me to apply the skills and knowledge I gained
from the coursework in the MPA program, truly making it ap-plicable. I was able to take an issue, conduct an analysis, and
make recommendations to move forward. This is a process
that plays out for me almost every day in my career, so I really
enjoyed having the experience and opportunity to showcase
what I was capable of in the ARP.
valuable pieces of advice you would give to MPA students?
In the role of public service many MPA graduates will end up
in careers trying to solve some of government's most chal-
lenging issues ranging from homelessness and gentrification
to environmental impact and health disparities, to name a
few. Traditional approaches to tackling many of these issues
in our community have historically centered on transactional
approaches. Transactional changes are those that help in-
dividuals negotiate existing systems but tend to leave those
structures in place. They may result in short-term gains for
communities, but not long-lasting impact as they don't get to
the root cause of issues.
I would challenge students to look at how they can bring
transformative approaches to the workplace. Seek to tackle
problems by cutting across multiple institutions, industries,
and practices. The focus should be on changing policy and17
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Texas State University--San Marcos. Public Matters Public Administration Magazine, 2018, periodical, 2018; San Marcos, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1495441/m1/20/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.