Bob Ross, MPA 2004

First Selectman, Town Salem, Connecticut

How did you find yourself in the MPA program?

I had a very successful career in the Navy.  In my last position, I was the Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Sixth Fleet responsible for the Mediterranean and European regions.  When I decided to retire at the age of 43, I also decided to stay in public service at the local or state level.  I thought being the CEO of a small town would be a very rewarding thing to do and would give me an opportunity to work on policy issues at the local level.  To prepare for my second career, I sought an MPA from UCONN.  Since I already had an M.A. in Security and Strategy, the Department of Public Policy was able to credit some of the elective course work.  I finished my MPA in 2004.

What do you do now for work?

My first position following graduation was as an emergency manager for the city of Cripple Creek, Colorado.  I reorganized the city’s emergency management structure and supervised a 9-1-1 call center.  In less than a year I was promoted to City Administrator responsible for a full service municipal government in a city with a three-billion-dollar economy.  Then, in 2007, I returned to Salem, Connecticut where I was elected First Selectman for a Township with just over 4,000 residents and almost 30-square-miles of municipal jurisdiction.  I feel very fortunate to be trusted by residents as their Chief Elected Official.  I feel good about what I do because I ran for office for the right reasons, not to get something from it, but to give something to a community I care very much about.  I like helping people right where they live.

What is your greatest challenge in your working situation now?

My greatest challenge is staying focused on the short list of things I promised to accomplish in my first term.  Everyday there are myriad issues that come up in my office.  I work very hard at separating those things I must do, from those that are less urgent.  If I try to tackle every problem, or satisfy every constituent, I’ll end up getting very few things completed and in the process create a great number of dissatisfied residents.  So, prioritizing my time and energy is the most challenging thing I do.  I try to make good choices and approach problems as efficiently as I can.

How does your MPA degree help you on a daily basis? What skills do you
directly use?

The single most valuable thing I draw from my MPA experience is to see all policy problems as multi-dimensional and interconnected.  I don’t approach problems looking for easy solutions.  I know that any given policy choice has the potential to unleash unintended consequences on both public and private sector stakeholders.  So, I spend a great deal of time listening to people so I can understand other perspectives that help me make better policy choices.  I don’t often get to choose the “right” answer.  More often, I’m in the pursuit of the “best” answer, knowing that that is what representative government is supposed to produce.

What advice would you give to a current student in the MPA program?

Keep your expectations high for the faculty.  Expect professors to be intellectually brilliant and scholastically demanding because the student will be the better for it.  The best thing about the UCONN MPA program is that it isn’t an academic exercise.  It’s a program of practical approaches to policy choices.  It gives the student a functional tool kit in public policy analysis.

Where do you see yourself going in the future?

I’ll be in some form of public service for the rest of my life.  It is the thing I’m most passionate about and find so gratifying.  Whether I’m making a big difference on a small scale, or a small difference on a large scale, the chance to make a difference, to contribute constructively to improving our communities, is ultimately the most important thing in my life.  It’s what my life is all about.