“When I came into office, I said I wanted to build a city for the future and that meant recruiting talented millennials to work in municipal government. I believe they bring energy, innovation and a fresh perspective to help create a stronger and more efficient city government.
“The Executive Internship Program at the Houston Municipal Airport and other select city departments should not be compared to a typical internship for high school or college students. The position created by Airport Director Mario Diaz is a leadership development training program to identify and train young professionals on all facets of the organization’s operations and administration.
“We will continue to recruit young people out of college and will encourage them to consider a career in public service. We cannot compete with salaries and benefits in the private sector, but we strive to offer incentives that are commensurate with a person’s experience and education. The city has provided opportunities to several young professionals to work in executive level development positions and I have appointed several young professionals to serve on city boards and commissions.
“In addition to Marvin Agumagu, I am proud of the young professionals I brought with me from my office in the Texas Legislature to work at city hall. The following list is not inclusive of all young people I have helped, but they represent a diverse group of talented individuals that I mentored and helped to advance their careers in public service.
- Danielle Bartz – (former) Director, Boards and Commissions
- Jeff Syptak – Mayor’s Administrative Assistant and lead event advance
- Maria Montes – Director, Boards and Commissions
- Carnell Emanuel – (former) Mayor’s Office of Economic Development
- Kimberly Hatter – Mayor’s Office, Project Manager, Bloomberg Associates
“It is time to move past the misinformation and distractions and start focusing on daily city business and issues that need our attention. I hope young professionals are not discouraged from working in the public sector, because Houston needs our best and brightest minds to lead us into the future.”