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 Amy Barrett (MA ’90)
I had a public affairs major, with concentrations in social policy and public/nonprofit management.
For the past three years, I have been self-employed as a free-lance writer and public relations consultant, working primarily with education-related clients, including the University of Minnesota, Saint Paul Public Schools, and the State of Minnesota. I got a full-time job as a public information officer for the City of Minneapolis after my first year at the Humphrey Institute, and I finished my degree by attending classes on a part-time basis until I completed my degree in Dec. 1994. After six years at the City of Minneapolis--where I coordinated media relations, edited publications, and wrote speeches for mayor and city council members--I moved on to the Minneapolis Public Schools, where I managed media relations and served as spokeswoman. From 1999 to 2004, I worked in Communications for the Saint Paul Public Schools, promoting literacy and coordinating the citywide Saint Paul Reads campaign. I have been married for almost 20 years to my husband, John, who used to romp around U of M stadiums in the Goldie Gopher suit and now works in marketing at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare. We have three sons, ages 13, 10, and 7. My being self-employed makes juggling work and family much easier for both of us.
John and I had two kids and a house when I left my full-time job as an editor at MPLS.ST.PAUL Magazine to pursue my graduate degree at the Humphrey Institute. After a year of grad school, finances were tight, and it was tempting to put the degree on hold, but my advisor, Paul Light, encouraged me to hang in there and apply for the Alumni Tuition Grant. It was just enough to help us make ends meet while I took the remainder of my classes, during which time I also had a third child. I am very grateful to the Humphrey Institute for supporting me through that time, and I have loyally given back every time the current students call and ask me for a donation. I have also felt an obligation to continue to use my communications background to promote the good work being done in the public sector rather than seek out corporate clients.
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 Dave Van Hattum (MA ’90)
I am employed by Transit for Livable Communities (TLC), a local non-profit advocacy organization, as policy and advocacy program manager. My primary job responsibility is to convince the Minnesota State Legislature to substantially increase funding for public transit. This fall, I will work with hundreds of other statewide organizations to encourage voters to pass the transportation amendment on the November ballot. Doing so would provide transit with much needed additional funding, and provide the first constitutionally dedicated funding source for transit. I am also responsible for a number of research projects that support TLC's advocacy work.
I have worked in the transportation planning and policy field since my studies at the Humphrey Institute. I was fortunate to get my start in this exciting field as a research assistant at the State and Local Policy Program at the Institute. My concentration at the Humphrey Institute was in Technology, Energy and the Environment.
The Alumni Tuition Grant Program was instrumental in advancing my academic studies and career. Being new to Minnesota when I arrived at the Humphrey Institute, it was a tremendous relief and honor to receive this tuition grant!
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 Matt Welbes (MA ’90)
I studied energy & environmental policy and organizational management at the Humphrey Institute. Both of my graduate student jobs while at HHH prepared me for my career in transportation. One research assistantship was doing metropolitan transportation data analysis, and the second job was managing a program to promote bicycle commuting which helped to establish bicycle advisory boards in Hennepin County, Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Today, I am senior advisor to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) administrator in Washington, D.C. FTA supports public transportation by funding capital investments – things like Twin Cities’ Metro Transit bus purchases or construction of the Hiawatha light rail line – as well as funding transit service in rural areas, for seniors, and people with disabilities. My role in managing the administrator’s office includes providing direction and advice on FTA policy, legislation, and governmental affairs, as well as internal agency operations. Prior to 2001, I worked in FTA’s budget and policy office, and also served as the acting director of the agency’s Washington, D.C. metropolitan office. In 2000, I received a German Marshall Fund fellowship, which was an excellent opportunity to study transportation, environmental, and land use policies in Europe. I am always looking to hire HHH graduates to work at FTA, and am pleased to report that we hired a recent ATGF recipient this year [Ellen Morrison ’05 or ’06 ??]. My wife Lora and our daughter live in Arlington, VA, and we travel to Minnesota often to visit family and friends that include many HHH alumni.
I received an Alumni Tuition Grant the first year of the program. It proved incredibly helpful and without it, I probably would have needed to work more to cover expenses while taking fewer courses each semester. Because of the Alumni Tuition Grant, I completed my degree in ’92 and that allowed me to accept a Presidential Management Internship (PMI) which led directly to my current work.
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