Brian Winseck, MPA 2004

Analyst, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

Brian Winseck is a 2004 graduate of the University of Connecticut’s Master of Public Administration Program. He chose UConn because of its strong reputation and commitment to students.  When Brian arrived in 2002, the program was, as he recalls, “in the midst of transformation.  The program was evolving to meet today’s workplace demands. I was pursing an MPA for the same reason. It was a great fit.”
 
Brian distinctly remembers his first day of orientation as a student in the program, “[professor] Bill Simonsen said the MPA program provides students with the analytical tools necessary to be good consumers of information.  Whether in statistics, public finance, or organizations and management, each MPA course offers a new skill that would serve us well in our careers. Bill was right.” 

Brian regards the accessibility of faculty as the program’s greatest asset. “I recall countless times when a faculty member was willing to sit down and help answer a question. There is a great benefit to being able to knock on the door of one’s professor and work through an issue. In many ways this is how my most important learning took place.”

Today, Brian uses his MPA skills as an analyst for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in Washington, D.C.  At ONDCP, he principally handles the financial oversight of federal drug interdiction and law enforcement activities.  Brian arrived at this position through the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program. He believes in the benefits of the PMF program and advises anyone who is interested in a career with the federal government to apply.