There are thousands of Suffolk graduates who work or have worked in state and local government in Massachusetts. Indeed, the Sawyer Business School’s Mockley Center for Public Administration alone has certified more than 2,000 government and nonprofit employees.
That’s one reason Governor Charlie Baker and First Chief of Staff Steve Kadish spoke to this fall’s batch of certificate students. You recently wrote a new book, Results: Beyond Politics, and you want to do meaningful work and discuss your ideas with people who are doing that work in various government agencies.
“In the public sector there is a lot of writing about why and what, but less about why” says Baker about what inspired him to write the book. We want to focus on how.
The governor appeared directly from his office in the State House, Kaddish was present in person with 40 certificate students. Another 140 or so joined online. In a lively discussion moderated by Professor Susan Spurlock, Baker and Kadish, Baker discussed The book: People are policy, follow facts, focus on “how” and drive for results.
“We want to start as soon as possible with proactive performance measures,” Kadish said. You’re not always right when you start, but there is a way to really understand if the problem you’re solving is improving.
‘Hello boss’
Certificate students attended the conference from various state agencies: Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), Executive Office of Management and Finance, Hoyoke Soldiers’ Home, Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children, and others. For many, it was their first day of class, so when the governor welcomed them to Suffolk it was especially memorable.
“It was great to see Suffolk’s outreach to the State House,” said Daniel Lewis, community outreach manager for the Department of Children and Families, who is certified in human services and leadership management. “To broker such a speech [with the governor] It is very expensive.
