Greg Kesterman (MPA 2015) works as the Health Commissioner for Hamilton County Public Health. A role more important now than anytime in recent history. Although, if you would have asked him twenty years ago where he saw himself upon completion of his undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Cincinnati, his answer would have been teaching outdoor education and naturalist type work, in the parks. Spending some time in Maine and Wyoming teaching adults and youth in an outdoor setting was something Greg truly enjoyed. However, his family and roots were in the Cincinnati area and he ultimately wanted to settle his career close to home.
Greg began his work with the Hamilton County Public Health in the Environmental Health Division, and moved up through several divisions prior to being named the Health Commissioner in 2020, during a global pandemic. Greg recently gave some insight into what that has been like, and how his time at NKU helped contribute to his success.
Question: With starting this position at such a unique time, do you feel that you have gotten a genuine sense of what it means to be Health Commissioner and all that role entails, or has your job been mostly focused on responding to COVID ?
Answer: I have been here 15 years, so I have a pretty good overview of the agency, but the truth is that the majority of my time has been focused on the pandemic. There was about two months in the middle of the summer that I actually had more opportunity to do some other things associated with the job, but clearly the pandemic has taken too much time.
Question: There is so much to balance right now. You have a 17 million dollar budget, 480,000 citizens, and are still outpacing Ohio as a whole on vaccination rates. This has to require a lot of collaboration and cooperation. How did your time at NKU in the MPA program prepare you for that?
Answer: At NKU I was lucky and was able to meet many people that as I took on this role, I was able to collaborate better with because I knew them ahead of time. Then also in this role we, as a region and community, really have some strong partners. Here in Hamilton County, we created this multi-organizational collaboration, or MAC, and we meet weekly. It is all the heads of the hospitals, other partners that are in charge of nursing homes, it is Doctors and public health. So we can talk on a weekly basis about what is happening. Those types of collaborations have been critical for public messaging, public understanding, but also for balancing resources to make sure we have what we need.
Question: That makes me wonder, have you seen a change in the field of public administration and how agencies work together? Do you see things changing in the future in public health?
Answer: I think many of the communities we serve now see the importance of public health, and so better dialogue happens now between public health and those communities as well as many partners.
Question: This is also an interesting time to be studying Public Administration, and going through the MPA program. Is there anything you want to share with MPA students?
Answer: From my perspective, really the MPA program is short-lived. You are only there a few years. Take every opportunity to make those relationships. That long term can help serve both your career and your opportunity to learn from those that you went to school with. It is kind of special bond. You have a reason now to call somebody in different organizations. You went to the program; you knew each other. When I graduated, I went with kids straight out of college all the way to Fire Chiefs and administrators that were further advancing their knowledge, and I felt comfortable calling them and maintaining that relationship.
Take-Aways:
There was a lot to take away from the conversation with Greg. On a personal note, he emphasized how much time he still spends outside with his family. This has been a hard year, and any free time he has had, he takes the family and will go hiking, kayaking, or just enjoy the weather. Reminders of taking care of yourself are always important.
On a professional note, the idea that collaboration between partners and sharing resources is always a good take away. Greg's emphasis on creating relationships while in the MPA program and staying in contact is a great piece of advice!
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