Passionate. Driven. Courageous
Leslie Knope is smiling after watching Brittany Bennett’s (LinkedIn and Twitter) virtuoso performance of organizing, moderating, and recapping our recent Twittersation on the events in Ferguson.
What We Learned
If you missed the Twittersation, fear not. We’ve compiled a recap of the discussion and created a survey for you to share your opinion.
Word on the Street
“Congrats to my former classmate and friend, Brittany Bennett, for being named Knope of the Week. Like Ms. Knope, Brittany gets stuff done, has an eye towards improving her community, and is ambitious in tackling tough problems. Brittany handled last week’s Twittersation much like she handled student-led professional projects and other activities as a classmate of mine at UNC: with vision and an emphasis on building dialogue around difficult issues. Congrats to Brittany. A deserving honor indeed.”
— Nick Byrne, UNC MPA ’15
“Brittany was fabulous! The questions were great, her facilitation during the discussion was wonderful, and I love that she jumped right into being a super-moderator! Looking forward to hearing more from her!”
–Emily Leuning, Cities of Sherwood and West Linn
“If Brittany identifies an issue that needs to be addressed, discussed, and explored, you can always count on her to take charge. The Twittersation is a perfect example. It was a great conversation that engaged people to explore challenging topics from the militarization of police, the importance of transparency, to race in modern America and the role of government in building trust in minority communities that have historically been left out of decision making.”
“She is one courageous and driven woman and she holds her friends accountable to living their values and speaking up, even when its not always comfortable. (Thank you Brittany.) For all of these reasons, I am honored to be her peer, her fan, and most importantly, her friend. Go Brittany! Knope of the Week, well deserved!”
–Sarah Hazel, City of Charlotte, NC
“The ability to quickly respond to hot button issues is imperative in today’s local government. Brittany proved that she can synthesize all sides of an issue and organize an educated discussion on lessons learned and ways to move forward. Brittany’s performance exemplifies the mission of ELGL to “Connect. Communicate. Educate.”
–Kent Wyatt, City of Tigard, OR
“Brittany’s thought provoking questions resulted in our best Twittersation to date. She challenged us to think hard about the issues in Ferguson and the role the city administration played either directly or indirectly in the events that followed Mike Brown’s shooting. Great job Brittany!”
–Ben Kittelson, Oregon Metro
“Brittany is very passionate about applying and sharing her experience through the lens of public administration, and it shows! The Twittersation was a great time to hear from young leaders from all over the U.S. on how the protests and need for representative bureaucracy affects us all. As I fumbled around using the Twitter platform, Brittany gracefully engaged us all with sharp questions and intriguing commentary that facilitated a conversation that could even be shared after the event.”
—Maggie Parker, UNC MPA and MCRP Programs
Brittany exemplifies what ELGL is all about: she suggested a topic via twitter and then she worked to quickly develop a conversation format that would allow for ELGL members to participate in a meaningful way. During question development for the twittersation, she reached out to her peer network to include a variety of topics. And then she approached the conversation and her summary with professionalism, poise, and confidence. I am so proud that Brittany is part of ELGL and will continue making positive contributions as our newest columnist.
–Kirsten Wyatt, City of West Linn, OR
Supplemental Reading
Three Lessons from Person County