Fellow Spotlight: Kate Fitzpatrick

Who or what inspired you to enter public service?

When I was 11 years old, I started a paper route in my neighborhood. In those days, kids delivered evening newspapers. I noticed that my street name sign was spelled incorrectly (“Lindberg” for “Lindbergh”), and I wrote a letter to the Town asking them to fix it. When the DPW crew came and installed the correct sign, my love of local government was born. Local government feels real and immediate to me – I can see visible reminders of the impact of my work, and I can talk directly to residents about what they need or want from their government.

What is your favorite class you have ever taught or taken and why?

The Athenian Program is a class that I both took and taught. I was part of a design team that created an in-person, week-long professional development program, where local government managers meet, exchange ideas, and tackle complex issues. Called “Socratic Challenges,” these issues include things like sustaining meaning and purpose in our organizations, strengthening the relationship between our government and the people we serve, leading through the challenge of democracy, and following the Athenian Oath. The program helped me expand my mind, my network, and my circle of friends, and is still running annually.

What advice would you give to those interested in pursuing public policy or public administration as a career?

Surveys consistently show that trust in local government is higher than in other institutions. The country needs dedicated local government professionals more than ever. I tell everyone that this is the best time ever to serve in local government. The challenges are real, and there are great opportunities to effect change.

What area of public policy interests you the most and why?

One area that I am passionate about is helping women in local government advance in their careers. I helped form Women Leading Government (WLG) Massachusetts, part of a national network of state associations. The Massachusetts WLG exists to help women at every level of local government – from administrative assistants to CEOs – grow and advance in their careers. Participation of women in local government – particularly at the CEO level – lags significantly behind our male counterparts. I have endeavored to model the role women can play leading cities and towns.

What is your favorite cuisine?

Maybe Elios frozen pizza is not the expected answer, but it got me through many night meetings during my time in local government. My favorite foods are the comfort variety – like a 15-ingredient beef stew that I can prepare on a Sunday afternoon in the fall while watching a football game on TV.

What is your favorite hobby or activity that you enjoy doing in your free time?

My free time is devoted to reading, walking, traveling, and spending time with my grandchildren. I also write a periodic blog about local government at VeryKateFitzpatrick.com.

Who in your life has been an influential mentor or inspiration for you?

I have had several traditional mentors in my career. They were usually older, higher up the professional ladder, and further along in their careers. I learned important lessons from them – how to communicate with elected leaders, how to run effective meetings, how to remain outwardly calm in difficult situations, and the like. More recently I have discovered mentors who are earlier in their career, working their way toward local government leadership. They have (knowingly or not) helped me revisit old patterns and challenge long-held opinions and assumptions, which has helped me be a better leader. I am a true believer now that we can learn valuable insights from the people who work for us.

What was your dream job as a child?

I was always interested in government and politics, and I knew that I wanted to serve. My other option was to find a job where I would get paid to read novels, but that hasn’t happened yet.