Natasha R. Nau - E-Portfolio

MPA candidate, IPA Public Administration Fellow

e-mail: nnau@udel.edu
phone: 302-831-3506 | fax: 302-831-3488

192 Graham Hall | University of Delaware | Newark, DE 19716-7380

Introduction

Natasha is a first-year graduate student pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in public management. She graduated from James Madison University in May of 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy and Administration and a minor in Human Resource Development. During her undergraduate career, Natasha was an honors scholar, which entailed taking many additional courses as well as writing a thesis. She was a representative for the JMU Student Government Association (SGA), pledge-class treasurer for the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, and the VP of Finance for the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Prior to arriving at the University of Delaware, Natasha attended Arizona State University in the fall of 2010 and completed a semester of coursework toward her MPA.

Over the past four years, she has interned with various local governments and completed a handful of field projects (noted below). Upon graduation, Natasha hopes to obtain a job related to public management with the intention of becoming a county, city, or town manager. Since 2000, she has been a loyal volunteer firefighter for the Long Ridge Fire Company (LRFC) in Stamford, Conn.

Education

coursework toward MPA degree taken at Arizona State Univesity

BS, James Madison University, 2010, Public Administration with a minor in Human Resource Development

Experience

September 2011 – present
Public Administration Fellow, Institute for Public Administration, University of Delaware
Newark, Del.

FY 2012 Complete Communities Project: Conducting a literature review of University of Delaware IPA publications related to land-use planning, transportation policy/planning, healthy communities, and health policy to analyze for themes of sustainability, livability, and walkability.

January – May 2011
Intern, City Manager’s Office and HR Department
Tempe, Ariz.

Worked on developing an electronic performance management system for the city including functions such as goal and competencies tracking, a communication log, and a mid-year/ annual evaluation

May 2010 – August 2010
Intern, Fire Department (HR Division)
Alexandria, Va.

Created performance evaluations for the positions of battalion chief and firefighter within the fire department using Microsoft Excel. Complex equations were used to connect multiple spreadsheets. Also designed an accompanying tutorial in Adobe Presenter with voice over’s and screenshots
Shadowed City Manager to meetings in Washington, D.C.

January – May 2010
Intern, City Manager’s Office,
Harrisonburg, Va.

Produced a budget summary document for all 16 departments that included a summary of their functions as well as the allocation of funds

May – August 2009
Legal Intern, Philip Russell, L.L.C.
Greenwich, Conn.

Corresponded with clients, courthouses, and jails regarding case matters
Performed a variety of extensive research on criminal and civil cases (DUI/DWI, drugs, assault/injury, murder, theft, property tax liens, contract violations, etc.)

Qualifications

Proficiency in SPSS Statistical Software, Microsoft Office Software (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), Macintosh Software (Photoshop, iMovie, GarageBand), Adobe Software (Presenter and Captivate); Seven years of Spanish as a second language (proficient in reading and writing); Trained in emergency services and CPR certified

Honors and Awards

James Madison University Honors Program, 2006 – 2010

Dean's List Fall 2008 – Spring 2010

Public Service Award, Secretary of State (Conn.), 2005

Conferences

Presenter, Madison Research by Undergraduates in the Social Sciences and Humanities (MAD-RUSH) Conference, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va., March 27th, 2010.

Projects and Reports

“Breaking the Ceiling: Are Female City and Town Managers Rising to the Challenge?”, May 2010

My honors thesis was a qualitative analysis of female city and town managers along the east coast. The coast was divided into three regions: northern, central, and southern. The northern region included Connecticut, New York, and Jersey. The central region contained Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina comprised the southern region. The data-collection method consisted of 16 face-to-face and telephone interviews. The purpose of this research was to observe and analyze several relationships in order to address two questions: what influential factors help females into management positions and what factors hinder this process? Issues such as work-life balance, gender discrimination, and the “glass ceiling” were examined.

Presentations

E-Learning Contractor Safety Training Program, MillerCoors, Elkton, Va., 2010

Public Works Safety Plan, Town Council Meeting, Elkton, Va., 2009

Performance Improvement Proposal (PIP) on Server Training Program, Paradocks East Coast Grille, Chesapeake, Va., 2009

serving the public good,
shaping tomorrow’s leaders