The weather was picture perfect on Thursday, June 20th as the Fel-low’s gathered at the Down-town Sailing Center (DSC) for the annual Team Build-ing activity aboard the Jam-ming, Jolly Rodger and Sea Horse sail boats. Before setting sail, certified keelboat instructors taught them the fundamentals of water safety, wind direction, sail theory, how to rig a boat, and general rules. Alt-hough some fellows were nervous to be on the water with limited training and ex-perience, they recognized early on that the only way to sail the boat on their own was to work collectively as a team. After identifying their indi-vidual roles on the team and solving a few problems that hindered their initial progress, the Fellows were able to navigate their boats through-out the harbor—sailing towards an unforgettable experience.

―With perfect weather during the beginning of summer, it was a great

day to be out on the water,‖ said Fellow Sharity Bannerman. ―We really

enjoyed the view and the opportunity to spend time with each other.

We all wanted the experience to last longer.‖ After the Fellows docked,

they decided to prolong their time together with a happy hour.

Team Building in the Inner Harbor

Baltimore City Mayoral Fellowship Newsletter

July 18, 2013 Issue 2

FELLOW PROFILES: AMANDA BATES KEENEN GETER…………...2 FELLOW PROFILES CONTINUED: ELIZABETH TATUM SEAN MCTAGUE…………..3 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: COLIN TARBERT..………...4

AGENCY PROFIILE: DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE.…........................5 UPCOMING EVENTS……..5

The Downtown Sailing Center provides

life enriching programs that fosters

teamwork, leadership and self-

confidence.

After serving for two years as a Legislative Assistant for State Delegate Shawn Tarrant, Baltimore native

Keenen Geter developed an interest in government and policy. This experi-

ence influenced his decision to attend the University of Baltimore and earn a

B.A. in Jurisprudence. He is currently pursuing his Masters in Public Admin-

istration and law degree at the University of Baltimore.

This summer, Keenen is working in the Bureau of the Budget and Manage-

ment Research (BBMR). His responsibility is to develop a street repaving

report. He must look at the cost effectiveness of these services offered by

the Department of Transportation in comparison to outside vendors. His goal

is to produce the required project for BBMR and learn the ―inside scoop‖ of

city government.

Keenen’s favorite experience as a Fellow thus far has been meeting with the

Mayor’s Deputy Chief of Staff Kym Nelson and other key staff in the Mayor’s

Office.

In his spare time, Keenen enjoys working with youth. Last year, he created the organization Young Men with

Power. ―I want to help young men strive for excellence and travel down the right path,‖ said Keenen. ―The

program is for boys between the ages of 12-15 and focuses on community service, leadership, and higher

education.‖

Keenen Geter

Page 2

A native from Central New Jersey, Amanda Bates has always wanted to be a city girl. Her mother is a social worker and her father owns and oper-ates an automotive equipment business. She now resides in Baltimore.

Amanda graduated from The George Washington University in May of 2007 with a Bachelors in the Arts in Human Services and minored in Women's Studies and Communications. She is currently pursing a Mas-ters of Social Work at the University of Maryland and is expecting to grad-uate in May 2014.

Human Services and Social Work provides Amanda with the opportunity to work within her community. She declared her undergraduate major dur-ing her second week of her freshmen year, and GWU’s program allowed

her to work in both a direct and indirect service capacity.

After graduating in 2007, Amanda worked for Equal Justice Works in Washington, DC, and then The Choice Program in Baltimore. In January 2010, she moved to Orlando to work at Planned Parenthood of Orlando, and then Children’s Home Society of Florida in Tavares, Florida. It was at Children's Home Society that Amanda found her niche within the child welfare sector.

Amanda’s fellowship placement is with the Department of Public Works. She is compiling environmental re-porting requirements and permits to develop a database for the entire agency. Then she will create a Stand-ard Operating Procedure to streamline the reporting process across the agency.

―I am learning everything. Coming from a social work background, my experiences at the Department of Pub-lic Works has been extremely educational and eye-opening. In addition to having new experiences everyday, I am hoping to learn as much as I can about the inner workings of Baltimore City government.‖

Amanda Bates

Mayoral Fellow Profiles

While attending Dulaney High School in Cockeysville, Sean McTague discovered exactly what he wanted to do after graduat-

ing from college—he wanted to work for the government.

That decision influenced the Maryland native to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History in 2008 from the

University of Maryland, College Park. After graduating and studying abroad in Denmark and Germany to learn how govern-

ment works in different countries, Sean became fascinated with urban planning. This experience inspired him to go back to

school to pursue a Masters Degree in Urban Planning at Georgia Tech University in Atlanta. He expects to graduate in the

spring of 2014.

This summer, Sean is working for the Parking Authority of Baltimore City. He is responsible for coming up with ways to in-

crease on-street parking efficiency. Sean hopes to learn how to make our city more efficient

and come up with ideas to get people out of their cars and use other types of transportation.

―Working as a Mayoral Fellow is a great experience. It allows me to use the information I’m

learning at Georgia Tech in a real world setting,‖ said Sean. ―I also really enjoy the oppor-

tunities we’re given to learn about different city agencies. So far, my favorite experience

was when we participated in a police ride along in the Western District. It was an eye-

opening experience to what's going on in our city.‖

After completing the Mayoral Fellowship and earning his Master’s degree, Sean would like

to work for the Parking Authority or the Department of Transportation in the City. His goal

is to create and implement efficient parking solutions and alternatives to driving for Balti-

more City such as the Charm City Circulator and Water Taxis.

Mayoral Fellow Profiles Continued

Elizabeth is from small town Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, but that doesn't mean her home life was small. Growing up with

four sisters and two brothers, Elizabeth wanted to travel the United States and explore living outside of Pennsylvania. Eliza-

beth received her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Secondary Education at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.

After undergrad, she decided she wanted to give back to people in need. Moving to Chicago for five years, she worked at a

non-profit organization that treated chronic pain conditions. Elizabeth also volunteered at a homeless shelter for three years.

After gaining experience in Chicago, Elizabeth attended the University of Pennsylvania to received her Masters in Public

Administration.

Now residing in Baltimore, Elizabeth’s Fellowship placement is in CitiStat. She is responsible

for working on a data mapping project. Elizabeth is conducting a series of interviews of staff

members at the agency level and trying to understand how they gather data for CitiStat re-

sults. CitiStat is using the information to automate the data and create a centralized data

warehouse.

When the Fellowship program is completed, Elizabeth wants to have a general understand-

ing of the government’s day-to-day operations. She also wants to understand how the city’s

policies are made. Her favorite experience so far was visiting the Emergency Operations

Center (EOC). At the time, the EOC was preparing for an upcoming storm. Elizabeth was

amazed at how everyone was working together to warn and inform Baltimore’s citizens to

take appropriate precautions.

After the Fellowship Program, Elizabeth has one more year at Penn. She wants to pursue a leadership position in a non-

profit organization for which she has a passion.

Elizabeth Tatum

Page 3 Sean McTague

Alumni Spotlight: Colin Tarbert

Deputy Director of Economic and Neighborhood Development

Academic Background

Bachelor's Degree

University of Maryland

Bachelor of Science in Architecture

Summa Cum Laude, 2002

Masters Degree

University of Maryland,

Master of

Architecture, 2004

Where are you from?

Baltimore County

Grew up in Towson

Live in the Butchers Hill community

Year of Fellowship

Summer 2004

Agency Placement

Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC). My daily tasks included working directly with the Executive Vice President. We created more effective management strategies for the Inner Har-bor in the areas of revenue and services, and I assisted with architectural and urban design pro-jects. I attended weekly meetings with the Mayor, government leaders and business leaders, pre-pared presentations and executive memorandums, and participated in weekly fellowship pro-grams.

Fondest Memory

I think the most memorable experience was the police ride along. I was stationed in East

Baltimore and it is amazing to see some of the transformation in the area since 2004—mainly in

the EBDI footprint.

How did the Fellowship affect your career path?

The fellowship was a significant influence on my career. I’ve worked for the City since 2006, and for the past three years, I’ve been working for Mayor Rawlings-Blake.

Page 4

The Department of Finance is

responsible for the following

major functions:

Billing and collecting all funds

owed to the City

Investing and managing the

City's surplus cash and funds

held in trust

Accounting for and reporting

all funds

Conducting City-wide safety

and accident prevention

programs

And many more….

To learn more, visit:

http://finance.baltimorecity.gov/AboutUs.aspx

Click the link below to view Baltimore’s

method for budgeting.

Outcome Budgeting

Gwynns Falls/ Leakin Park Gentle Hikes

Lake Montebello Thursday, July 18, 9am-10pm

Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower Open House

21 S. Eutaw Street

Saturday, July 20, 11:00 am – 4:00pm

Baltimore Builds: The Rehab Process

Oliver Community Center 1400 E. Federal Street

Wednesday, July 24, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Tree Baltimore Annual Working Group

Meeting

Vollmer Center at Cylburn Arboretum 4915 Greenspring Avenue

Thursday, July 25, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Upcoming Events

Page 5

Agency Profile: Department of Finance

Newsletter Developer:

Asha A. Blaney

For more information, please visit

http://www.baltimorecity.gov/

The Department of Finance is responsible for safeguarding the fiscal integrity of the City of Balti-more through the development and implementation of sound fi-nancial policies and practices.

The Department operates through five Bureaus:

1. Purchases 2. Revenue Collection 3. Treasury Management 4. Accounting and Payroll Ser-

vices 5. Budget and Management Re-

search

―Here in the Finance Department we are working very diligently to have the City of

Baltimore recognized as best in class when it comes to public sector financial

management. We are achieving this through our ongoing perfecting of out-come based budgeting, performance

management and effective implementa-tion of the City’s Ten Year Financial Plan,

as well as modernization of core operating systems.‖

Harry Black Director of Finance