Tapping Into the Rising Generations

Brandon Skopek | Early Career Outreach Committee Chair

Each of us can recall the path that led us into the municipal management field. For some, it was a long and winding one, while for some lucky professionals, it was straight out of high school or college. As you look back on your path, take a moment to imagine how that path might be different if someone encouraged you in high school to become a municipal manager or work for local government.

City of St. Clair Superintendent Quentin Bishop was one of those lucky professionals. With the opportunity to be mentored by the Mayor of Marlette, he had an early introduction to the world of municipal government. For him, the mayor demonstrated the importance of public service and provided the opportunity to meet with him, learn from him, and join him on a trip to the National League of Cities Conference in 2002—creating lifelong memories that translated into a career ambition.

As professionals in our field, we all have the opportunity to reach out to the younger generations and energize them with the municipal government path in the same way Quentin was by the Mayor of Marlette.

Here are a few tips for how you can work with the high school students in your community:

1. Make the information relevant. Connect local government services and stories to a teens’ life experiences. For example, the topic of master planning and zoning may seem irrelevant to students until you provide an example of planning or zoning decision that impacts their neighborhood, favorite parks or school buildings.
2. Offer a “[insert community name] University.” You could host an annual program with four to six sessions that introduce local government and its specific service areas through guest speakers. You could then conclude the program by recognizing participants at a council meeting.
3. Collaborate with government teachers. Work with teachers to incorporate your local government’s work into their curriculum.
4. Create a summer internship program. Partner with the local high school to offer an engaging experience where interns can work in different departments and gain firsthand knowledge of the different day-to-day tasks necessary to operate a municipality.
5. Leverage school resource officers. Use Resource Officers as a bridge to help students connect with other municipal staff and government functions.
6. Build relationships with school staff. Develop strong working relationships with high school staff and administrators to better facilitate programs and initiatives.

Remember, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to excite a student about local government, the best thing you can do for them is show them your own passion for it.

Looking Ahead to 2025

As we enter 2025, we would like to thank you all for your continued support. Over the past year, the Early Career Outreach Committee successfully hosted a training session focused on Council-Manager relations, began work on a mentorship initiative to connect mentors with those in the profession seeking guidance, and have consolidated our tasks to set us up for future success.

Looking ahead, the Early Career Outreach Committee has established an exciting list of priorities for 2025. These include organizing training opportunities for new managers, promoting Public Administration as a profession through outreach to MPA programs, undergraduates, and high school students, and partnering with regional groups to establish and strengthen ties with municipalities.

Thank you again for your support. We are looking forward to seeing you all at the Winter Institute!

Brandon Skopek
Chair, Early Career Outreach Committee
Assistant City Manager, City of Auburn Hills

Rachel Witherspoon
Member, Early Career Outreach Committee
Village Manager, Village of Pentwater

Quentin Bishop
Member, Early Career Outreach Committee
City Superintendent, City of St. Clair

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Brandon Skopek
Chair, Early Career Outreach Committee
Assistant City Manager, Auburn Hills

Brandon Skopek is the assistant city manager with the City of Auburn Hills. He also serves as the executive director of the Auburn Hills Tax Increment Finance Authority.

Brandon has spent his career in local government as a planning and economic development professional. He is the former township planner for Highland Township, Michigan, and former assistant to the city manager and Downtown Development Authority coordinator for the City of Brighton, Michigan. Brandon was hired by the City of Auburn Hills in 2018 to the role of director of authorities, overseeing the Tax Increment Finance Authority, Downtown Development Authority, and Brownfield Redevelopment Authority. As part of the city’s succession planning efforts, Brandon was moved to the city manager’s office in January of 2021 to an interim role of assistant to the city manager in preparation for taking on the assistant city manager position in October 2021. He is a member of the Michigan Municipal Executives, International City/County Management Association, the Oakland County City Manager’s Association, and the Michigan Economic Developers Association.

Brandon’s professional interests include economic development, community engagement, and local government management. He possesses a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Public Policy, and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in local government management, both from Oakland University.