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Tom Evans MPA ’22 may have grown up in Dallas, but he—and much of his family—bleed Bobcat green. 

His parents are both ������Ƶ alumni, and after a stint in the U.S. Army, Evans settled in the Columbus area. His first job was as a communications officer with the Ohio Department of Medicaid during which he caught the public service bug.

After taking a job with the Ohio Senate communications team, he enrolled in the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service’s Executive MPA program and eventually became the director of communications and marketing for the . 

Discovering a career in public service

During my time at Medicaid, I wanted to level up my understanding of state government. What I love about working in communications is that you get to put your hands in every subject matter and issue. You learn a lot very quickly. Our whole policy team engages with the legislative majority caucuses and works with them to understand the pieces of legislation.

Why OHIO and the Voinovich School’s MPA program?

It was a really good fit for me as someone working full-time. We had our first kid right after my second semester, so it was juggling full-time work, being a husband, a new dad, and a grad student. The professors and staff just made it fit seamlessly into my life. And, we love OU. My parents and an aunt went there, as did a bunch of my cousins. Our best friends are both Bobcats.

From student to state leader

The OMA is a trade organization that lobbies the state government on behalf of the manufacturing industry. There are more than 1,600 members, and our work includes navigating tax incentives and any workforce development programs.

Gaining real-world skills that translate to leadership

Dr. Jason Jolley taught a class where you had to work on a semester-long policy report, coming up with your own ideas, and then working through issues. That was the opposite of my job at the time in the Senate, where all the legislative staff turned in their reports and helped draft the bills, and then I got the finished product. It was beneficial to see both sides of the process.

The crisis communication class was just a one-credit-hour course, but I applied what I learned directly and quickly to my work. American manufacturing is undergoing significant changes, and you must be prepared for anything. The crisis communication class was the little golden nugget where I said, "this is something that I can really latch on to.”