From an internship with a consulting firm to managing disaster recovery efforts at FEMA, this public servant's career journey exemplifies the importance of being flexible and exploring all options, reminding us that the path to our dream job may take unexpected turns. Keep reading to learn more about LBJ alumna Jamie McAllister's (MPAff 2010) career path.
What was your policy area of focus while at the LBJ School?
JM: Public Administration
Tell us about your experience at the LBJ School.
JM: I loved the LBJ School. It was a huge growth experience for me.
Tell us about your professional journey after you left the LBJ School.
JM: Shortly after graduation, I received a call regarding an internship I had applied for with a Washington D.C. based consulting firm. The project was with the U.S. Department of Transportation. I had lived in the Washington D.C. area before and was delighted to return and asked to start within a week, so I packed up my meager belongings and drove east.
Once the internship ended, I spent 5 years as a consultant for federal government agencies mostly focusing on project management, and more specifically, IT management. I acquired my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification during that time which was immensely valuable in the government consulting domain. It was not until mid-2015 that I landed a job directly working with a federal agency, Transportation Security Administration.
Shortly thereafter, I shifted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and have been there ever since. I have worked disaster recovery for two major disasters, Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Harvey. By far my most challenging position was as the Deputy Infrastructure Branch Director for Hurricane Harvey recovery. Disaster management is challenging work with long hours assisting state and local governments to return to normalcy after the devastation wrought by a disaster.
I spent several years on Hurricane Harvey recovery managing hundreds of staff members and awarding billions of dollars in funding which was both gratifying and exhausting. I cannot say enough good things about FEMA response and recovery staff who dedicate their lives to the mission.
As Hurricane Harvey recovery neared completion, I transitioned to my current position as a policy analyst, a role, I find rewarding in different ways. The role allows me time to get back to my love of research and fully immerse myself in policy research and interpretation.
My journey since graduating from the LBJ School is not a typical path nor a straight one, with only my most recent position encompassing policy work. However, over the years, I have thoroughly enjoyed becoming a jack-of-all-trades in project management, strategic planning, technical writing, grants management, workforce management, and the list goes on.
Throughout this time, I have maintained significant flexibility in defining myself, and I very much look forward to my continued career journey as a public servant willing to pitch in wherever I am needed.
What is one skill you learned at the LBJ School that you still use in your professional career today?
JM: Policy Analysis
What advice would you give current students as they prepare to graduate and go out into the policy arena?
JM: Be flexible and explore all options. Do not make assumptions about what kind of work you will or will not enjoy. What you imagine as your dream job, may not be what you actually find yourself doing, and you may like what you are doing even more than your original plan.
What was your most treasured memory from your time at the LBJ School?
JM: Study groups. I loved hanging out with my fellow students, and I learned much from them.