Baker School Hosts Public Policy Networking Fair
This week, undergraduate and graduate students spoke with local, state, and federal public policy and public service employers at the Baker School’s inaugural Public Policy Networking Fair.
Representatives from Nissan North America came to reach into what they called “a huge talent base at UT” in the state they call their bread and butter, with their headquarters and two plants located here. They discussed with students what Nissan’s government relations department looks like for a large international corporation and how they would fit in.
Keristen Layrock, a GTA at the Baker School, who spoke with many attendees, stated that she learned about many different departments where she could work that she was not aware of, opening her eyes to wider career opportunities.
A graduate of the MPPA program, now under the Baker School, Lexi Webster from Avero Advisors returned to introduce the company to more students. Avero’s Business Development Manager, Meagan Seaton, explained why her company wanted to be a part of this fair. “Baker students are hard workers who know how to communicate,” Seaton noted they hired many students from Lexi’s class. “They want to make changes in local government and the Baker School does a great job preparing them by teaching them how the government works at a fundamental level.”
The event was open to students across campus. A student working towards her social work degree says this fair provided her with a glimpse of the broader scope of organizations and, therefore, showed her the available different career fields.
Lindsey Savell, a graduate of the Haslam Public Administration program, who now works at tnAchieves, is excited about what is going on at the Baker School and wanted to be a part of the fair to speak to students on her organizations’ entry-level career opportunities.
Fifty undergraduate and graduate students attended the event which allowed them to meet one-on-one with 12 organizations to discuss current and future career opportunities and internships. Representatives were present from Avero Advisors, the City of Knoxville, Knox County, Nissan North American, Inc., Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, Tennessee Department of Human Services, tnAchieves and the UT Police Department, Community Relations Unit.
Career opportunities were not the only things being advertised at the fair. Mary Margaret Murray, representing the City of Knoxville’s Human Resources Department and Marcus Kennedy from Knox County, were there to speak with students about the local government undergraduate internship programs for the summer and fall.
The Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration hosted a reception for 12 Baker School graduate students and graduating seniors later in the day. The reception provided advanced students with another opportunity to network with several executives from the department about jobs in state government.