Trey Hunter graduated from McGeorge’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program in 2019. Today, he serves as the Acting Budget Director for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, an enterprise department providing water, power, and sewer services in San Francisco and the broader region.
Trey and his team are responsible for an operating budget of about $2 billion a year, supporting nearly 2,500 staff from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park, where the Hetch Hetchy reservoir provides the Bay Area with much of its water. The capital budget is a little over $1 billion annually and $12.5 billion over a 10-year period. His team is responsible for the development, preparation, and administration of those budgets.
Leading up to this position, Trey was employed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and, before that, the California Department of Finance. For the latter, he “Was hired right out of grad school, in big part due to what I learned from the faculty at McGeorge.”
A Path in Public Administration
With an undergraduate degree in government and an interest in public policy and administration, an MPA seemed like a natural next step. Although he considered graduate programs across the country, Trey ultimately moved to Sacramento to attend McGeorge, drawn to the program’s unique intersection of law and public administration and the abundance of government opportunities in California’s capital.
For Trey, the appeal of public administration was also about the opportunity to serve the public. “Careers in public service can take a few different routes. One of them is a policy or administration route with a leadership or management role, and an MPA is a good way to pursue that. In my role now, I’m responsible for ensuring that people have water, power, and sewer service. It’s about as essential as it gets to just living your day-to-day life. I really like that I’m able to do something that people care about and need.”
Building Practical Skills and Connections
“My experience in the MPA program was great,” Trey says. “The faculty were really, really good, and well connected and respected in the area, which was extremely helpful. They had us do research and assignments that were applicable to real-world jobs. I can’t remember how many memos I wrote in grad school, which is something that I do all the time in my day-to-day work.”
He credits Marianne O’Malley’s state budgeting course with giving him the knowledge he needed to get his position at the Department of Finance after graduation. “If it wasn’t for her, I never would have had the knowledge to get my job at the Department of Finance, which was an excellent job to get right out of grad school.” He also points to Systems Thinking, Statistics, and the Capstone class as “really interesting and applicable.”
His fellow students in the program were another important part of his experience. He remains proud of his cohort and follows his former classmates’ career trajectories and advancement. “I know that a lot of it,” he says, “is because of the networking, education, and connections of the program.” Sally Ly even helped him land his first state job: “She loves to say that I’m her biggest success story.”
The Long-Term Value of an MPA
Balancing coursework with a full-time job and personal responsibilities was challenging, but Trey sees the MPA as a highly worthwhile investment. “It’s a lot, but it’s 2 years that pays dividends in the future.” One of the lasting impressions of the program is just how intentional and genuine the faculty and administration are. “It’s really nice that every once in a while, somebody will reach out from the program. I think it’s unique; almost 10 years after starting, professors are still checking in and rooting for you to be successful.”
Trey would recommend the program to others considering an MPA. “There are various options for MPA programs, but I think the McGeorge MPA is special. It’s small, it infuses law, and I think it’s done a really good job of recruiting and retaining strong faculty.”
He also sees McGeorge’s Sacramento location and proximity to California state government as an important advantage for students interested in public service. Looking back at his own experience, Trey says, “Doing this program seriously has changed my life.”
Learn More About McGeorge’s MPA Program
Interested in building a career in public service, government, or public administration? Learn more about the McGeorge Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, including the curriculum, concentrations, admissions requirements, and how the program can help prepare you for your next step in public service.