My Professional Edge - Javan Mesnard

Javan Mesnard
Policy Advisor, Arizona State Senate
Keller degree: Master of Public Administration (MPA)

My career

I am presently a Policy Advisor at the Arizona State Senate. As such, I am hired by and work predominantly with the Senate Leadership. Beginning as an intern some years ago, I demonstrated integrity, character and excellence in my work, and was asked to join the leadership staff as an Assistant Policy Advisor. After some years, I rose to my current position as full Policy Advisor. This achievement was all the more meaningful because no one my age had ever been given such responsibility.

In my position, I advise the Senate President and Majority Members on legislative issues. I aid the legislative process by researching, analyzing, tracking and drafting bills and amendments. I meet with State agencies, lobbyists, the Governor and their respective liaisons, and I address constituent concerns. In addition, my job involves writing speeches, press releases and newspaper op/ed articles and coordinating such events as the Legislators Back to School Event and the annual Indian Nations and Tribes Legislative Day.

Why flexibility mattered

I was very careful in my choice of institution and master's degree program. I did my research, I asked my questions, and I chose Keller Graduate School of Management. The Keller MPA degree program allowed for the most flexibility with my work schedule. It offered both online and ground options for the courses, and instructors with real world experience. Keller also did not force me to repeat overlapping classes I had already taken as part of a concurrent MBA program at another institution. It worked well! Keller was great!

While a full-time student at Keller pursuing a Master's degree in Public Administration, I also pursued a Master's degree in Business Administration full-time at another institution. I managed a full-time job, involvement in my community and professional organizations, and the startup of a business, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA in each of my full-time master's degree programs.

Merging academics with the professional arena

Keller offered a quality education in a professional environment. And it was very practical. The Keller learning model brought the real world into the classroom. It effectively merged academics with the professional arena. In fact, one such experience directly connected me to an outside organization: the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA). A Keller professor who came to think highly of me asked me to become a spokesman for the NCPA, a non-partisan "think tank" he was associated with.

He felt I would do well speaking to the younger generation (my generation) on the issues facing the social security system. My success as a spokesman led them to extend my audience and I ended up giving more speeches to senior populations than anyone else. In the end, the NCPA asked me to take an even greater leadership role: as the Chair of the Youth Advisory Council. That is a contact I would not have made had it not been for Keller.

Career outlook

While I now have several years of experience in this area under my belt, I wanted that experience to be complemented with a suitable academic portfolio. My undergraduate degree was in music composition. Should the next election prove less fortunate for me, I wanted to have more that just experience and a music degree. I wanted the Keller MPA to help usher me into a new position that would allow me to continue along the public service career path.