How MPA ’17 alum Kate Sykes found her way home to the Evans School to support the next generation

Long before she became Director of Student Affairs at the Evans School, Kate Sykes, MPA ’17, was a working professional trying to understand how institutions could better serve students like her. 

As a first-generation college student balancing full-time work while pursuing her degree part-time, Kate experienced higher education from the inside out. She always knew her career would be in higher education, but as she looked at leadership across the field, she noticed something important. Many leaders held master’s degrees in education, which deeply informed their understanding of the student experience. Yet she saw gaps when it came to budgeting, stakeholder engagement, and systems-level decision-making. 

“When it came time for me to consider a master’s degree, the two that made the most sense were a Master’s in Education or a Master’s in Public Administration,” she said. She chose Evans because she wanted more than participation in leadership. “I hoped it would prepare me not just to participate in higher education leadership, but to shape it.” 

At Evans, that preparation came into focus. 

Her coursework reframed public service not as a series of quick wins, but as sustained systems work. “My time at Evans really helped me better understand public service as systems work,” she reflected. “Impact often happens through structure and policy and sustained advocacy, rather than just quick wins.” 

For Kate, that understanding was personal. As a student, she did not always know where to turn for resources, nor did she always feel institutions were built with her lived experience in mind. At Evans, she gained the analytical tools to change that reality for others. She learned to diagnose institutional challenges at the systems level and treat root causes rather than individual symptoms. 

Specific courses remain vivid in her memory, as they do for many alumni. In PUBPOL 511 with Craig Thomas, memo writing sharpened her ability to communicate clearly and persuasively. In PUBPOL 512 with David Suarez, organizational management gave her a framework to understand how institutions function and where they falter. And in PUBPOL 526, program evaluation skills equipped her to assess initiatives, improve services, and build evidence-based proposals. 

Those tools have shaped every step of her leadership journey. 

In a previous role, Kate successfully grew her advising team by translating data into compelling narratives for engineering leaders who were experts in their own field but unfamiliar with the day-to-day realities of student advising. She has launched new academic programs, bridged communication gaps between faculty and students, and strengthened support systems by grounding decisions in policy analysis and evaluation. 

When the opportunity arose to return to Evans in a leadership capacity, Kate saw something more than a job. She saw a chance to bring her Evans education full circle. 

Today, as Director of Student Affairs, Kate draws directly on her experience as both alum and first-generation student. She anticipates pressure points. She translates institutional constraints. She advocates for policies and practices that better support student well-being.  

“You are a whole person outside of this campus and outside of this experience,” she tells students. “My job is to support you as a whole person.” 

Students are not just scholars, she emphasizes. They are partners, caregivers, professionals, and community members. Supporting the whole person is central to helping them thrive in the classroom. 

Her commitment is especially strong in this volatile moment of sweeping changes across every field of public service. 

“Yes, this is a really uncertain time for folks who want to be public servants,” she shared. “But because this is such an uncertain time, there is no more important time to have truly dedicated, value-driven leaders going into public service. This program pushes you to grow intellectually, emotionally, and personally. You will find yourself engaging in challenging, complex, and sometimes emotionally charged conversations in meaningful ways. I can’t think of a more important time to start building those skills. Our students are dedicated to building this skill set so they can affect meaningful change.” 

In conversations with faculty and students, Kate often reflects on what sustains her. Giving in to despair would be easy. What keeps her grounded is the knowledge that she is helping educate those who will go on to create meaningful, lasting change. 

“I may not affect meaningful, long-term change on a large scale,” she shared. “But I am helping support the education of people who will. And that means everything.” 

She often thinks of Mr. Rogers’ advice to “look for the helpers.” In her view, there has never been a more important time to be one. 

Kate believes an Evans education prepares students to lead in complex, imperfect systems without losing sight of their values. It pushes them intellectually and personally, equipping them to navigate power with responsibility and courage. 

Her journey reflects the ripple effect of an Evans degree. It prepares graduates not only to serve the public, but to strengthen the institutions that shape future leaders. Now, as both alum and staff member, Kate ensures that Evans students are seen, supported, and ready to become the helpers our communities need most.