Sawyer’s certificate cohort chats with governors

There are thousands of Suffolk graduates who work or have worked in Massachusetts state and local governments. In fact, the Sawyer School of Business’ Mockley Center for Public Administration alone has awarded certificates to more than 2,000 government and nonprofit employees.

That’s just one reason Gov. Charlie Baker and his first chief of staff, Steve Kadish, are speaking with certificate students this fall. They recently co-authored a new book, Outcomes: Beyond Politics to Get Important Work Done, and hope to discuss their thoughts with the people working on it at various state agencies.

“There is a lot of literature on why and what in the public sector, but very little about how,” Baker said of their motivation for writing the book. “We wanted our focus to be how. “

The governor was present from his office in the state House, while Kadish was there with 40 certificate students; another 140 or so joined online. In a lively discussion moderated by Professor Susan Spurlock, Baker and Kadish shared advice and anecdotes on some of the issues Baker has faced since taking office in 2015. One theme is that, in all challenges, Baker and Kadish apply what they have in the book: People-Oriented, Realistic, Focused on the “How”, and Strive for Results.

“We want to start with performance metrics as soon as possible,” Kadish said. “They’re not always right when you start, but there’s a way to objectively see if the problem you think you’re solving is getting better.”

“Hello boss”

The certificate students in question come from a range of state agencies: Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), Executive Office of Administration and Finance, Holyoke Soldiers Home, Pappas Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital, and more. For many, it was the first day of class, so it was especially memorable for the Governor to welcome them to Suffolk.

“It’s been amazing to experience Suffolk’s opportunity to be in the state legislature,” said Daniel Lewis, community support manager for the Ministry of Children and Families, who is enrolled in the Human Services and Leadership Management Certificate. “Can facilitate this dialogue [with the governor] Really valuable. “

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