Spring
2000 Spring
2000 | Director's Notes | Community Achievement Award |
| SPEAking of Alumni | Where Did Your SPEA Degree Take You |
| Newsletter Credits | Community Advisory Board Spotlight |
by William G. Ludwin
As we finish up another academic year, I want to thank some whose help has been invaluable to us during the past year. We rely on our adjunct faculty to fill in the gaps in our course offerings, as they bring to the classroom not
only their academic training, but also the practical expertise of experience. We also have group of dedicated associates, the Community Advisory Board (CAB), which serves as a sounding board for academic policies and curriculum and arranges for the selection of the winner of the Community Achievement Award each year. This year, in addition to their continuing support, they will expand the number of board members and formalize the purpose and structure of the organization.I want to extend my thanks to the following members of these two groups:
- James Anderson, M.P.A. '92, director, Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, CAB member
- Thomas Bartholomy, M.P.A. '86, president, Better Business Bureau of Northeastern Indiana Inc., CAB member, taught V170 Introduction to Public Affairs and V368 Managing Government Operations
- Linda Buskirk, M.P.A. '94, vice president for development and administration, University of Saint Francis, CAB member
- Ronald Buskirk, M.P.A. '99, compliance officer, Lutheran Health Network, CAB member, taught J322 Introduction to Criminalistics
- Sue Campbell, M.P.A. '88, director of Dunham Complex, Fort Wayne State Developmental Center, taught K300 Statistical Techniques
- Philip Davich, B.S.P.A. '90, manager of accounting services and coordinator of fiscal systems, IPFW, taught
K300 Statistical Techniques- Ann Fumarolo, M.P.A. '86, president, Science Central, CAB member
- Karen Goldner, M.P.A. '89, executive director, Community Development Corporation of Fort Wayne, CAB member
- Bruce Hamilton, M.P.A. '85, vice president of human resources for the Lutheran Health Network, CAB member, taught V170 Introduction to Public Affairs
- Dan Hampton, attorney, Hampton & Voelz, taught J306 The Criminal Courts
- Dan Hannaford, town manager, North Manchester, and former Fort Wayne police chief, taught
J460 Police in the Community- Stacy Hartman, M.P.A. '94, administrative physicist, oncology department, Parkview Hospital, CAB member
- Sharon Levick, associate faculty in economics and public and environmental affairs, taught SPEA V517 Public Management Economics
- T. Neil Moore, M.P.A. '86, visiting instructor, SPEA-IPFW, CAB member
- Patrick Murphy, attorney, Barrett & McNagny, taught J303 Evidence
- Mark Olivero, attorney, Swanson & Campbell, taught J301 Substantive Criminal Law
- F. Nelson Peters, M.P.A. '89, director of human resources for Midwest operations, Taylor Made Systems, CAB member
- John Stafford, strategic planner, City of Fort Wayne, taught V365 Urban Development and Planning
- Jerry Ummel, magistrate, Small Claims Division, Allen Superior Court, taught J306 The Criminal Courts and V376 Law and Public Policy
- Brad Voelz, attorney, Hampton & Voelz, taught J302 Procedural Criminal Law
- Kurt Wheeler, chief probation officer, Noble County Probation Department, taught J305 The Juvenile Justice System
- Paul Whitesell, police psychologist, Fort Wayne Police Department, taught J101 The American Criminal Justice System
Elsewhere in SPEAking of... you will find information about the annual graduation/ alumni reception. Many of those listed above will be in attendance- why not attend yourself to see old friends and to make new ones? Perhaps you would like to make a difference with a gift to the SPEA-IPFW scholarship or general-needs fund-the last page will give you directions. See you in April.
Nelson Peters attributes many of his successes in the public and private sectors to the analytical skills gained in short- and long-term planning through the IPFW Division of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Nelson Peters felt somewhat uneasy about hitting the Fort Wayne job market after graduating at IPFW in 1982. The city's economy was suffering from the exodus of International Harvester and high unemployment, Peters recalls.
"The unemployment rate was over 13 percent, inflation was running in double digits, and prospects (for gainful employment) did not look good."
The transition from the classroom to the workplace, however, proved less difficult than expected. Peters credits much of the ease to the faculty and the Bachelor of Science in public administration that he earned at IPFW.
"Although there was a job shortage during the early '80s," Peters recalls, "there is always a need to serve the public sector. Consequently, I knew there would be jobs in government."
In 1984, Peters went back to IPFW in pursuit of an M.P.A. (received in '89). During the latter part of 1984 he became personnel director for Allen County government, which he served until 1988, when he was appointed director of human resources for the City of Fort Wayne by former Mayor Paul Helmke.
In 1991, Peters was elected to an at-large seat on the Allen County Council, a seat that he continues to hold. In this position, he has emphasized better strategic planning at the county level. In March 1998, Peters proposed a criminal justice task force that would help guide the county council in long-term budgetary decisions. A final report is due from the task force in fall 2000. Additionally, he touts the implementation of a budget analyst, his participation in the development of the current Allen County economic development tax abatement program, and the creation of the Northeast Indiana Regional Alliance (NIRA) health insurance consortium-a program established to create economies of scale to assist funding of public employee health insurance claims.
"There is always a need to serve the public sector. Consequently, I knew there would be jobs in government."
-Nelson Peters
Today, Peters is director of human resources for Midwest operations at Taylor Made Systems Inc., after a five-year
stint as vice president of human resources for Connor Corp., a Fort Wayne manufacturer.
Nelson and his wife, Tammy, lead an active life while raising their two children, Nelson, 15, and Chelsea, 13. Their hobbies include traveling, community involvement, and entertaining friends and family.
Sandra Craig Ridley, B.S.P.A. '90
After receiving a Bachelor of Science in public and environmental affairs in 1990, Ridley decided to leave the state to pursue graduate education at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where she received a master's degree in public administration in 1992, with concentrations in healthcare and community development.
Ridley's two years at Harvard were rich and rewarding as she had access to the university's many resources, a perennial stream of visiting fellows and guest speakers, and fellow students. She was asked to serve on several committees, ranging from increasing the diversity of Kennedy School faculty, to increasing the number and kind of courses that students could take at other Harvard graduate schools.
Due to her interest in healthcare, Ridley secured a summer internship with the medical director of Boston's public hospital, Boston City Hospital. She worked with him on projects to reorganize the employee health and occupational health departments, with a goal of increasing the number of patients served and increasing revenue to the hospital. The internship continued through her final year of graduate school.
Upon graduating, Ridley became a liaison between Boston's community health centers and the city's public health department on a five-year, $15 million federal grant awarded to Boston to reduce infant mortality. Subsequently, at the request of Boston's public health director, Ridley began employment with the City of Boston to manage the grant as director of community development policy. During her time with the City of Boston, she received citations of good service from funded agencies and the city. After four years of serving in this capacity, she felt it was time to try something different.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard teaching hospital, was searching for an administrator in its cardiology research unit-the Cardiovascular Data Analysis Center (CDAC)-who would be devoted to medical device clinical trials. In 1997, Ridley joined the staff as director of research. Her initial duties were focused on creating and staffing a process to complete research reports that summarized the clinical trial results. These grew to supervising the completion of statistical analyses; troubleshooting and identifying solutions for areas in the organization where improvement was needed; discussing analytical plans and interpreting research results for clients; and working with the Food and Drug Administration to design and complete additional analyses required for FDA approval of the device.
Ridley credits the Division of Public and Environmental Affairs with providing an excellent educational foundation that allowed her to successfully complete her graduate education.
Her work has recently grown to include creating and staffing a quality assurance department and a regulatory affairs department. CDAC is in the process of merging with Harvard Medical School and Partner's Health Care Organization (the parent company for Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital). This will give CDAC additional resources to conduct clinical trials in areas in addition to cardiology, such as oncology, neurology, pharmacology, and infectious diseases. Based on the current positive business climate, CDAC's clinical trial portfolio will likely continue to expand and provide new, challenging opportunities.
A past board member of the Massachusetts' chapter of the March of Dimes and Health Care For All, Ridley is a member of the National Association of Black Health Care Executives, and the National Council of Negro Women. She attends the First Lutheran Church in Boston, where she assists weekly in making books of the Bible in Braille, and has recently begun to coordinate a multi-year Bible- reading class that would cover the entire Bible.
Ridley credits the Division of Public and Environmental Affairs with providing an excellent educational foundation that allowed her to successfully complete her graduate education. SPEA also helped Ridley become an effective contributor to her employers in Boston. She says her good fortune began when C. James Owen, Ph.D., thought enough of her academic abilities to recommend her for a research assistant job within SPEA, then mentored her through college graduation and helped her decide which graduate school to attend. She is grateful that the mentoring and support continue to this day.
The Community Advisory Board for SPEA at IPFW is very pleased to announce that Paul Helmke will receive this year's Community Achievement Award. The board decided to break from tradition this year and chose the winner from the nominees we received from alumni. Normally we would have submitted the names of all the nominees to SPEA alumni for their vote. However, the unique circumstances that exist this year compelled the board to select Paul Helmke as our honoree. Just what are those unique circumstances? As you know, Helmke just completed three terms as mayor of Fort Wayne, a tenure which reflected the standards and ideals taught by the SPEA program at IPFW. In any year that record would be sufficient to be honored with the Community Achievement Award. But what makes this year even more special is that an endowed $50,000 scholarship for SPEA students will be named in Paul Helmke's honor.
The Community Achievement Award is honors an individual who exemplifies the ideals of SPEA at IPFW. I hope you can join us April 14 when we recognize Paul Helmke for his many contributions to Fort Wayne and SPEA!
| Ann Rivir, B.S.C.J. expected May 2000, presented a paper, "Home Detention with Electronic Monitoring: The Newest Form of Mass Incarceration," which placed third in the upper division of the written paper competition at the American Criminal Justice Association annual conference, Indianapolis, Ind., March 17, 2000. |
SPEA-IPFW alumni business cards are needed for our prospective student display board! We have received business cards from the alumni below, but we need more cards to enhance the display board used at IPFW open house events and summer orientation programs. Please send your business card to:
Jane Loomis
Public and Environmental Affairs
IPFW
2101 Coliseum Blvd. E.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
Many thanks to these alumni who have responded!
| Gregory E. Werich, M.P.A. '97
chief probation officer Wells County (Ind.) Probation Department |
Thomas M. Bartholomy, M.P.A. '86 president, Better Business Bureau of Northeastern Indiana |
Robert C. Brubaker, B.S.C.J. '98 adult probation officer Allen County (Ind.) Circuit Court |
| Danielle D. Inman, B.S.C.J. '98 complaint specialist coordinator 38th Judicial Circuit Prosecutor's Office, Fort Wayne |
Philip Davich, B.S.P.A. '90 manager of accounting services and coordinator of fiscal systems, IPFW |
Karen E. Goldner, M.P.A. '89 executive director, community development coordinator of Fort Wayne |
| Paul A Strouts, M.P.A. '89 director, business financial/ auxiliary services Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla. |
David L. Leeka, M.P.A. '82 associate director, business financial/auxiliary services Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla. |
Maureen P. Voors, M.P.A. '98 associate land use planner Allen County (Ind.) Department of Planning Services |
| Ronald Buskirk, M.P.A. '99 compliance officer Lutheran Health Network |
Jim Anderson, M.P.A. '92 director, Fort Wayne Children's Zoo |
Jeffery L. Milleman, D.D.S., MPA
'95 clinical specialist, research scientist, Health Science Research Center, IPFW |
| T. Neil Moore, M.P.A. '86 visiting instructor, Division of Public and Environmental Affairs, IPFW |
Lori M. Craft, B.S.P.A., '96 administrative specialist, Pima County Health Department, Community Nutrition Division, Tucson, Ariz. |
Stacy Hartman, M.P.A. '94 administrative physicist, radiation oncology center, Parkview Hospital |
| Ann Fumarolo, M.P.A. '86 president, Science Central |
Danny Anderson
Robert D. "Danny" Anderson, B.S.P.A. expected May 2000, serves as an intern at the Matthew 25 Health/Dental Clinic. His responsibilities include working at the front desk, sorting medication, and researching grant proposal opportunities.
Tamara G. Davich, Editor
Division of Public and Environmental Affairs
Indiana University-Purdue University
Fort Wayne
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
