Emily Parker

Emily Parker (MPP '13) has always been fascinated by policy, politics, and the public sphere, but she believes that fiscal policy dictates what is actually possible. "The purpose of policy is to solve complex problems to improve people's lives, and that was exciting to me," she says when commenting on her concentration. 

In fact, it was Professor Senger's class on Public Management & Budgeting that turned theory into practice. That course "showed my what a career in public policy might actually look like. When I took this course, I was interning with the Colorado Department of Higher Education. The course material directly related to the work that I was doing at CDHE." 

Emily even says that in every position she has had since graduation, Professor Senger's words stay with her, especially when it comes to writing: "When time is the most valuable currency, brevity is key."

Upon graduation, she moved to DC for a position in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, a position she partly got because of an internship she had while at Korbel. Her other policy positions--one at the University of Colorado and another at the Education Commission of the States--were also due to Korbel connections. 

Nonetheless, she maintains that the other students in her program were the most valuable part of her Korbel experience, with most classmates now working in the public policy sphere, and many in Colorado. "When I have a question about natural resources or healthcare, I know that I have a built-in network of smart and capable people to lean on," she says.