PPMC News

Meet a new addition to Team PPMC: Monique Garcia! Monique is the Community Initiatives Manager for the PPMC. Monique has nearly 28 years of experience working in local and federal government and the private sector. She has worked on Capitol Hill under two presidential administrations, for Sedgwick County government in public health/communications, followed by ICM, Inc., Black Hills Energy and the Kansas Health Foundation. A native Wichitan, Monique received her bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas and her MBA from Southwestern College.

Nearly two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln, the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas were informed of their freedom. The celebration that followed this significant day in Galveston, sometimes called “Emancipation Day,” has now become the day we recognize as the end of legal slavery in the United States.

The Public Policy & Management Center (PPMC) at Wichita State University welcomes Monique Garcia, Corinthian Kelly, and Kate Young as new Team PPMC staff members. The PPMC is thrilled to expand resources and capabilities with these exceptional professionals.

Meet our new team member, Corinthian Kelly! Corinthian is a Program Manager in Community Initiatives and will focus on public and social service programs. Corinthian has a bachelor’s degree in Public and Urban Affairs with a minor in Leadership Studies from Virginia Tech, along with graduate certificates in City and County Management, Public Finance, and Nonprofit Management from WSU. After obtaining his Master of Public Administration from WSU, Corinthian completed a postgraduate fellowship with the Sedgwick County Manager’s Office.

Mental health is something that is close to my heart, personally, and to the mission of the PPMC. In addition to May being Mental Health Awareness Month, we’ve experienced two years of a global pandemic – discussing mental health awareness and support is at the forefront now more than ever.

As we find ourselves nearly halfway through 2022, it can be easy to look back on the past few years and focus on everything that has made life difficult: an ongoing pandemic, political division, and global conflicts. While these are important issues to address, I find so many reasons to be filled with hope amid the chaos—and nearly all of those reasons are connected to public servants.

Last year, the PPMC delivered research on attracting and retaining talent. The key result was most organizations across the country are facing a talent shortage; government organizations are feeling that shortage at a higher level due to difficulty attracting and retaining staff. Organizations need more creative approaches to traditional benefits. There are many reports that have coined the phrase the “great resignation,” which refers to the large number of baby boomers who have retired over the last two years: approximately 23 million (Fry, 2020).

Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) has been celebrated during the first week of May since 1985. During this week, we take extra time to honor the people who serve our nation as federal, state, county, local, and tribal government employees. More so, we take time to thank all of you that give back to the “greater good” through volunteerism, financial support, and active engagement in civic life.

This blog is the second in our three-part series explaining how Recovery Connect can help you. Today’s blog walks you through how to get assistance as an individual.

Sometimes things just don’t work out like you thought they would. Two weeks ago, my family and I planned to spend a week in Florida with sun, sand, and simplicity. Our flights were booked, our bags were packed, and we jetted off to… nowhere.