Three employees from the City of Irvine have been selected to receive Orange County City Manager Fellowships to help finance their MBA programs through the Merage School.
Recipients include Pamela Baird, Council Services manager, who is attending the EMBA program; Kim Mahon, management analyst, who is also be attending the EMBA program; and Emily Walker, Community Service program coordinator, who is enrolled in the FEMBA program. All three fellowship recipients began classes in September.
Kim Mahon, a management analyst at the City of Irvine, is the recipient of a City Manager Fellowship and is enrolled in the Merage School EMBA program.
Emily Walker, a Community Service program coordinator for the City of Irvine, received a City Manager Fellowship and is enrolled in the FEMBA program at the Merage School
“This fellowship program was developed to help build productive relationships between UCI and the diverse and vibrant communities of Orange County. A major goal is to provide those people serving as role models in their respective communities the chance to engage in graduate business education where they may not otherwise have such an opportunity,” said Eric Spangenberg, dean of the Merage School.
The fellowship program tasked city managers with nominating exceptional city staff members who met the fellowship criteria. Once selected, these city staffers would be eligible to receive a substantial reduction in tuition to attend the Merage School Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA) or Health Care Executive MBA (HCEMBA) programs.
“We are thrilled that three of our exceptional staff members were chosen for the inaugural City Manager Fellowship program,” said Irvine City Manager Sean Joyce. “The City of Irvine is dedicated to furthering educational and training opportunities for our employees, and we are fortunate to partner with a top-tier institution in our own backyard. We are appreciative of the generous program offered by UCI and the Merage School of Business.”
The City Manager Fellowship program was established in Spring 2016 and is open to all city employees in the County of Orange. New City Manager Fellowship opportunities will be available for Spring 2017 (FEMBA only) and Fall 2017 (FEMBA, EMBA and HCEMBA). To be eligible for the City Manager Fellowship Program, city staffers must have, among other requirements, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and a record of academic achievement. They also must have a letter of nomination from their city manager. The City Manager Fellowship Program is one among many financial assistance programs available through The Paul Merage School of Business. To find out more and to check eligibility requirements, contact Sonia Batra, associate director of Admissions for the FEMBA, EMBA and HCEMBA programs, at 949.824.1303 or by email at sbatra1@uci.edu.
