ELGL wants to practice what we preach, and that means reaffirming our commitment to our work on diversity, equity, and inclusion in local government, and data-driven decision making.
We’ve hired a part time, limited duration position to work on the Diversity Dashboard, and other data projects, during the Summer of 2020. Learn more about Brian Murphy below, and connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter (or when quarantine is over, for a cocktail or a Cones of Dunshire marathon).
Hi ELGL! This organization has meant a lot to me through my Master of Public Administration journey, so I feel privileged and honored to be working with you now. I can’t wait to use the skills I’ve learned and I look forward to working with all of you.
As a youth, I saw my local elected officials as heroes. I vividly remember attending town council and county commissioners’ meetings as a Boy Scout with more enthusiasm than the rest of my troop combined. As I grew older, I realized that the true heroes in local government are the people who work behind the scenes, helping advise and educate elected officials on the best courses of action and executing ideas that help innovate local government and create meaningful change that builds stronger communities.
I have lived in Durham, NC for a decade now and I’ve been a community member in a city that has truly understood the need to innovate. I’ve also been privileged to intern with the Town of Apex and have been able to experience what local government looks like from the inside. I’ve helped formulate budgets, shadowed departments, and worked with outside contractors as we compiled parks data needed for grant applications.
I look forward to the day when local governments in the Triangle area being hiring again because I truly believe the state of North Carolina has some of the best local governments in the country (although those that I’ve met through ELGL have challenged that notion!) and I look forward to working with them to create better communities.
As local governments realize the need for data to innovate and the value in diversity, I look forward to working with ELGL to survey local governments in our Diversity Dashboard. I also want to find ways to work with other organizations to help local governments realize the need for further diversity in our organizations. Despite what is going on in the world today, diversity still breeds better local government organizations and I thank ELGL for the opportunity to make that possible!
Ben Wyatt is a hero of mine and, although I didn’t invent Cones of Dunshire, I’m happy to share many of his interests. He and I both are passionate about local government and data and I look forward to bringing that passion to ELGL.
Despite just finishing my MPA degree, I still find myself very busy given that my wife and I are expecting our first child next month! I still enjoy a good board game (though social distancing has made that tough), spending time with my wife and corgi, and following my favorite soccer teams (again, a challenge in a pandemic).
If you’re ever in the Triangle, let me know! When we can hang out in a bar again, I have many recommendations on the best drinks in the area and would love to discuss the future of local government over a cocktail!