Brian Baldrate, MPA 2001

Special Assistant US Attorney, United States Army

After graduating with a Bachelor degree in Political Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Brian served as a Tank Commander in both Texas and Kuwait. Following this military service Brian returned to graduate school and worked toward his Master of Public Administration and JD at the University of Connecticut.

Currently Brian, a 2000 UConn MPA and JD graduate, works as a Washington, D.C. attorney for the army. Brian has defended the army in a variety of lawsuits and acted as the criminal prosecutor for soldiers. Beyond assumed legal duties Brian has had a variety of unique experiences.

At the start of the Iraq war in 2003 Brian advised units on legal issues surrounding the rules of engagement including investigations and detainee abuse. Brian also labored to restore the devastated Iraqi judicial system. As Brian explained, “All of the functions of the judicial system had essentially stopped working. I was able to help with negotiations when blue collared workers were refusing to work without better pay, hours, and conditions. . . Records had been destroyed from jails. .  . I had to create a working budget for courthouses. I also helped the unemployed lawyers get back on their feet.” 
           
With such a wide array of needs in Iraq Brian was impressed at how fitting his MPA degree was. “I was absolutely surprised how helpful those skills were. I used many different MPA tools ranging from personnel, to budgeting, decision making, prioritizing, and organizational understanding. It was a blank slate. It really tests the outer limit when you have to get law and order established,” he said.
           
Brian has also worked on a variety of other legal issues including Hurricane Katrina, and a New Jersey manufacturing plant explosion.  In the New Jersey situation there were hundreds of parties suing. This was a daunting task with interviews and documents associated with each suit. As Brian explains you have to “manage all the moving parts. That is where the MPA is so helpful—in organizing all the information and the people.”