Many Master of Public Administration graduates follow a path into local government or nonprofit leadership.
But for 2015 alum David Chiles, the path was a little less traditional.
He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard in 2007. He began to work in the construction and design industry, looking at renewable energy and other sustainability issues.
In 2013, he decided to pursue an MPA.
“I believe in the idea of the public good and appreciated being around like-minded people in the program- people, including classmates and professors, who believed in the mission of what they were doing,” Chiles said.
Industry shift
Chiles now serves as a regulatory analyst at Supreme Lending, a top 20 mortgage lender nationally.
How does that relate to his education?
In the degree program, he learned the importance of clarity when writing policy. He also practiced analyzing and distilling difficult information that is important to a wide audience.
Now he flexes that when analyzing new rules and regulations in the mortgage industry.
“Good regulatory analysis looks easy when you just see the end result – a couple paragraphs summarizing an impact,” Chiles said. “We read 50-page regulations so that the rest of the company can maintain their focus on their tasks. Good curation gets the company from confusion to action.”
The mortgage industry is a highly regulated industry. And Chiles notes that the MPA program prepared him for this pivotal role.
“More than anything, it taught me how to research and argue for policy recommendations that impact the rest of the company,” he said. “I learned how to get people onboard with policies I was promoting.”
He credits his degree for many professional connections and career options.
And he’s satisfied that in his role, he’s playing an important part in keeping his business afloat.
“In short, a good regulatory curator makes it easier for the company to follow the law than to ignore it,” he said. “That’s how we do our part in preventing the next financial meltdown.”