Every Fall, the Center for Public Policy & Administration brings in a group of students studying in the fields of public administration, policy, and international affairs to work as graduate assistants for the coming year.  Graduate assistants work on a variety of projects and frequently contribute articles to Policy Perspectives.  This month we are profiling Hillary Galvin, a graduate assistant for the Master in Public Policy Program.  We know you’ll be as impressed with her as we are!

Hillary Galvin is returning for a second year as a graduate assistant, as she finishes her master’s degree in public policy.   When she is not in class, Hillary splits her time between working as a graduate assistant and as a performance audit intern at the Office of the Legislative Auditor General.

Originally from Massachusetts, Hillary came to Utah in 2010 in order to attend the University of Utah.  Prior to graduate school she was working in constituent services for a congressman in Rhode Island, focusing on education, social security, and housing.  It was in this role as a liaison between constituents and federal agencies and constituents and their congressman that she became interested in having a more active part in the policy process, motivating her to enroll in a graduate program in public policy.  Hillary hopes that a career in public policy will give her the opportunity to evaluate programs and policies in order to make comprehensive policy recommendations.  After starting the MPP program, she became interested in demography because of the importance of understanding population composition and projections to program evaluation and policy analysis. 

Hillary has worked on an assortment of projects as a graduate assistant.  Working with CPPA staff, Hillary conducted focus groups and assisted in an evaluation of the Westside Leadership Institute.  Her work last year also had an international component – she analyzed data on government confidence and trust in Sweden.  In addition to her work for the MPP program and the Center for Public Policy and Administration, last spring Hillary had the opportunity to contribute to Governor Herbert’s article in the Hinckley Journal describing his ten year energy plan for Utah (www.hinckley.utah.edu/publications/journal/2011_Journal.pdf).  This year, Hillary will work on behalf of the Master in Public Policy program.

As a performance audit intern, Hillary is conducting evaluations of programs and agencies that rely on state dollars.  This work contributes to improved programs, increased efficiency, and enhanced planning and accountability. 

After graduation, Hillary plans to stay in Utah and continue working with the Office of the Legislative Auditor General.  In the meantime, keep an eye out for her name in Policy Perspectives, as she continues contributing articles on a wide range of subjects to our monthly online journal.