City of Fort Collins Graduate Management Assistant Program#
The City of Fort Collins Graduate Management Assistant program allows current Master of Public Administration students and recent graduates (as well as students and recent graduates from closely related fields) the opportunity to gain valuable career experience in a wide variety of areas of municipal operations. This position provides future municipal leaders with the opportunity to learn from seasoned professionals in a community consistently rated as one of the best places to live in the country. The Management Assistant will have the opportunity to learn about the inner-workings of a full-service city.
The Management Assistant will be provided the opportunity to work on projects based in a variety of City departments while maintaining a "home base" in the City Manager's Office. Management Assistant will be involved in research, analytical work, and managing special projects. This position represents a full-time, one-year fellowship.
Current Management Assistant#

Megan "Meggs" Valliere is the current Graduate Management Assistant for the City of Fort Collins. She graduated summa cum laude with her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Colorado State University in the spring of 2021 and will complete her Master of Public Policy and Administration, also from CSU, in the spring of 2023. Her passions for housing policy, social equity, arts and culture, and public service have led her through several early career opportunities in both the public and nonprofit sectors. After interning with the City of Loveland's City Manager's Office for about a year, she was inspired by the impact of municipal government on individuals' lives and was ecstatic to take on an opportunity working in the city where she lives, learns, and finds community every day. In addition to her work with the City, Meggs is an active volunteer and finds fulfillment providing civic engagement and government-in-action learning opportunities to youth as the Director of American Legion Auxiliary Colorado Girls State. Meggs has experienced such immense joy and gratitude serving the City of Fort Collins and the people who make it a great place to live.
Previous Management Assistants#
Year | Name | Organization | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1983-84 |
Wendy Williams |
City of Fort Collins, CO |
Assistant City Manager |
|
Mark Rohloff |
City of Oshkosh, WI |
City Manager |
1984-85 |
Jody Kole |
Grand Junction, CO Housing Authority |
Chief Executive Officer Director |
|
Deborah Sagen |
Pikes Peak Community College |
Vice President Workforce Development |
|
Susan Loo |
City of Louisville, CO |
City Councilmember |
1985-86 |
Ann Turnquist |
Poudre Fire Authority |
Administrative Services Director |
|
Mark Campbell |
Multnomah County, OR |
Chief Financial Officer |
|
Don Gaeddert |
City of Larned, KS |
Retired City Manager |
1986-87 |
Julia Novak |
Novak Consulting |
President |
|
Todd Vance |
BreakForth Counseling and Consulting; Salem, VA |
Clinical Psychologist |
1989-90 |
Jon Ruiz |
City of Eugene, OR |
City Manager |
|
Steve VanderMeer |
Hometown Connections |
Senior Vice President |
1990-91 |
Kristin Epley |
University of Colorado - Boulder |
Sustainability Project Manager |
1991-92 |
Stet Schanze |
Gray Manufacturing Company |
President |
2000-01 |
Heather Brooks |
City of Alamosa, CO |
City Manager |
2002-03 |
Sam McFerran |
First Church (UCC) |
Associate Minister |
2011-12 |
Josh Jones |
U.S. Federal Government |
U.S. Federal Government Officer |
2012-13 |
Kelly Houghteling |
Town of Wellington, CO |
Deputy Town Administrator |
2013-14 |
Pam Davis |
City of Boulder, CO |
Assistant City Manager |
2014-15 |
Travis Machalek |
Town of Estes Park, CO |
Town Administrator |
2015-16 |
Tyler Marr |
City of Fort Collins, CO |
Deputy City Manager |
2016-17 |
Jackson Brockway |
City and County of Denver |
Capital Planning Analyst |
2017-18 |
Alyssa Johnson |
Slalom Consulting |
Organizational Effectiveness Consultant |
2018-19 |
Joe Wimmer |
City of Pittsburg, KS |
Deputy Finance Director |
2019-21 |
Sierra Anderson |
City of Raleigh, NC |
Senior Budget and Management Services Analyst |
2021-22 |
DeAngelo Bowden |
City of Fort Collins, CO |
Senior Environmental Sustainability Specialist |