When Anna Richard (MPA ’25) was growing up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, she played a somewhat unconventional game with her sister in their neighborhood.
“As a child, my sister and I would walk around our neighborhood, playing a game we called ‘Township,’” Richard explained. “We divided up the area of our street into sections like the Town Hall, police station, and shopping areas, and would immerse ourselves in the roles of community leaders.”
This childhood curiosity in local government stuck with her, leading to an undergraduate degree in political science and public policy at Washington and Jefferson College, an internship with the Quaker Valley Council of Governments through the Local Government Academy, and eventually her decision to enroll in the Master of Public Administration program at the University of Pittsburgh.
Richard was recently named the first recipient of an internship award created by Pitt alumnus Marshall W. Bond (MPA ’69) and the Western Association of Pennsylvania Municipal Management (WAPMM). The Bond/WAPMM Local Government Internship Program was developed to offer a platform for students to acquire invaluable experience in a dynamic, impactful setting, learning first-hand about municipal management, economic development, and public policy. One student a year will be selected to receive financial support while interning during the summer term, developing a deeper understanding of the public sector and community engagement, networking with local government officials and experienced professionals, and making tangible contributions to projects that directly influence the region's growth and development.
Richards is grateful for the opportunity this program presents to dive into the work about which she is passionate. “Experience, especially as graduate students, is incredibly valuable for our professional growth and assists us with future employment. The generous funding serves to elevate the appeal and entice young individuals to explore local government, which is something that the field is definitely in need of.”
She will be interning with Cranberry Township, a growing municipality about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh. Cranberry’s population has doubled over the past 30 years, creating a variety of opportunities and challenges for community leaders. Municipalities, like the interns themselves, must apply for consideration as a placement site, with the WAPMM board making the final decision on both. Richards expects to spend much of her time researching and reviewing best practices regarding efficient tracking and managing of federal grants and procurement processes and is looking forward to having a direct impact her efforts may make.
“What I love most about working in local government is that it's incredibly rewarding. You have a chance to make a difference in your community and can actually see tangible results. In other levels of government, you may work on a project or policy for years and see no results; however, in local government, the probability that you present an idea and the elected officials approve it is much greater. Then you can walk down the road and see new a development, park, or community center that you were a part of.”
Marshall W. Bond served as a military intelligence officer in the Army Security Agency immediately following his time at Pitt, returning to Pittsburgh in 1972 to begin a 26-year career in local management in the municipality of Monroeville. The recipient of GSPIA’s 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award, Bond has represented the school on the Board of Visitors, as a board member of the Pitt Alumni Association, and continues to give back to his alma mater through his financial support of the newly established Bond/WAPMM Local Government Internship Program.