When Shannon Kroeger Meadows ’99 was a student at Wittenberg, she took advantage of an opportunity to work as an intern for the City of Springfield.

“Wittenberg really prepared me well. The internship experience was crucial,” she said. “Wittenberg’s intensive classes and analysis prepared me for my master’s work at the University of Kansas, which led me to the position I now have.”

While at Kansas, she spent nine months taking classes toward her master’s degree. Then she worked a nine-month internship with the City of Springfield. When Meadows graduated with a master’s degree in public administration in April 2001, she was appointed executive assistant to the city manager.

In her current job, she runs the brownfields redevelopment program, which replaces old, empty buildings with new businesses. She also coordinates legislative and lobbying efforts for the city and heads up Springfield’s international program, which provides technical assistance to local governments in Kragujevac, Serbia and Pitesti, Romania. “We are working with these foreign government officials to share what we have learned about economic development and service delivery,” said Meadows, who is married to Jared Meadows ’98. “We’re helping with the transition and building a tax base, which is economic development, and we’re improving basic water and sewer service delivery.” In addition, her job includes working with college student interns. While she works with interns from several local colleges, she has a special place in her heart for students from her alma mater.

“The internship opportunity really put me where I am now,” Meadows said. “I want to be able to do that for Wittenberg students, as well as other college students. I like to share the ideals of public service. If we get college students in here, they will take a look at working for local government. What we do every day impacts the lives of everybody in our local community.”

Two Wittenberg seniors, Mysi Hall ’03 and Steve Spittle ’03, are working for Meadows this year.

“I’ve also learned a lot about how Springfield is run and the things in the city that are problematic,” said Hall, a psychology major and management and urban studies double minor from Carlisle, Ohio. “I’ve learned how Springfield deals with such things as brownfields redevelopment.”

Spittle, an economics major and a management minor, has focused on economic development. “I’ve learned how Springfield markets itself to businesses,” said the Dublin, Ohio, native. “How do you keep businesses happy and in the city? How does a city attract businesses outside the area?”

Those are difficult questions that will remain for the next students who take advantage of an internship opportunity with the City of Springfield. “I can’t really get along without Wittenberg interns,” Meadows said. “They reflect the quality of aWittenberg education.”

— Heather Maurer
—photo by Jeff Smith ’96