51ĀŅĀ×

Shannon Hamelund, MPA
Class of 2014, 2021

What is your academic and professional background? 

Hamelund: I am the senior center operations manager for USO Camp Aachen in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Iā€™ve spent most of my career with the USO; it was my first ā€œrealā€ job. After graduating from 51ĀŅĀ× in 2014 with my bachelorā€™s in political science, I was one of the inaugural staff members who helped to open USO Camp Aachen in response to the initial Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. 

Since then, I have worked with the USO on three continents. After leaving Europe for the first time, I was promoted to the USOā€™s World Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, as volunteer operations coordinator. I finished my MPA during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, while military life sent our family to Seoul, South Korea. While in Korea, I directly supported U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) as the senior center manager at USO Osan Air Base. I served Airmen and their families on the world's most forward-deployed permanent U.S. Air Base. 

In March 2025, my husband and I moved back to Germany. My career has now come full circle, and Iā€™m leading the USO center where I launched my career nearly a decade ago. My role is to support U.S., NATO, and coalition forces deployed to Europe through the USOā€™s mission of strengthening the well-being of the people serving in Americaā€™s military and their families.

Why did you choose the Executive MPA at 51ĀŅĀ×?

Hamelund: As a military spouse, stability in my career has been difficult and never guaranteed.  The unemployment rate for military spouses in the U.S. has hovered around . Overseas, while difficult to formally measure, the rate is significantly higher. 

I knew that if I wanted to maintain an upward career trajectory, I needed skills to be a competitive candidate for various roles in various job markets. I realized early in my career that I had little desire to work in the private sector, so pursuing an advanced degree in public administration made sense. I love the nonprofit industry, and Iā€™ve always been fascinated by how the U.S. and foreign governments function.

Once I set my sights on public administration, returning to OU to pursue the Executive MPA was an obvious decision. I received a phenomenal education throughout my undergrad years. 

I know the Universityā€™s commitment to cultivating public good, and I couldnā€™t imagine not being a Bobcat during grad school. Plus, Iā€™m from Athens ā€“ no matter where I live, Ohio will always be a part of me. 

How do public administration and non-profit work go hand in hand? 

Hamelund: In general, budgets tend to be a bit more flexible in the nonprofit realm, and due to their inherent nature of being outside the government, NGOs can pivot operations more quickly. Because of this, the U.S. government has historically relied upon the nonprofit sector to expand its impact and deliver support in our society.

As a military service organization, the USO works with the Department of Defense to support military service members and their families. After almost a decade, Iā€™ve learned that when you see a prominent news story involving the U.S. military, the USO is almost certainly behind the scenes providing support to service men and women involved. 

Throughout my career, my experience in the MPA program has helped me successfully engage in cross-agency collaboration. A few years ago, a fire damaged an on-base housing complex that was home to nearly 300 military families. The USO immediately sprang into action after receiving a middle-of-the-night call from our government counterparts. Within hours, we worked with multiple military and nonprofit agencies to offer shelter, food, and support to displaced families before our typical workday began.  

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What course from the Executive MPA has helped you most in your current career?

Hamelund: Nonprofit leaders must be subject matter experts in many areas, just by the nature of our scope of work. The MPA program prepared me for this, with a curriculum covering various subjects.  Like most students, occasionally I thought, ā€œIā€™ll never use that in my real job.ā€ Yet, Iā€™m constantly proving myself wrong, for which I am incredibly grateful. 

Each course within the Executive MPA program has offered value during the last four years. I routinely write grant applications for our local USO center, and having an entire course dedicated to grants management proves highly beneficial. Iā€™ve also sketched logic models when determining a new program's feasibility. Lastly, understanding public-private partnerships has been key because I regularly interact with a variety of agencies. 

What challenges of non-profit administration have you faced, and how have you addressed them?

Hamelund: Working in the nonprofit sector, I am acutely aware that our budget is cultivated from people and organizations who consciously choose to donate to support our mission. For every financial decision in our organization, I aim to ensure that we respect donor dollars and execute our funding in meaningful ways that impact our service members and their families. That mindset brings an extra layer of diligence to our spending. 

No matter the mission of an NGO, this awareness is something we all have in common. I have been extremely fortunate to have had colleagues and leaders to help me grow in my career, including creating and delivering a budget that supports our mission responsibly. 

Even the most robust NGOs have limited resources, which can be challenging. I donā€™t know anyone in the nonprofit industry who doesnā€™t work extremely hard. It can be difficult to sustain if you donā€™t love what you do. Thankfully, the USO makes it easy to love what I do, and I have a phenomenal education to help me feel prepared for challenges! 

What inspired you to work with the USO? 

Hamelund: I fell into the nonprofit sector ā€“ and the USO ā€“ entirely by accident. Like any young undergraduate, I applied to a variety of positions after graduation, not entirely sure of my next steps. Outside of the historic USO Tours, the organization's mission was foreign to me. But once I started, I fell in love with the mission of the USO and the people we serve. It did not take long for me to realize that I never wanted a career in which the focus of my job was someone elseā€™s bottom line. 

Every day, I have the privilege of knowing that my team has made someone elseā€™s day better and made a difference in our community. That knowledge is incredibly fulfilling. Seeing the smile on a young service memberā€™s face as they play with a USO Canine Volunteer or read a story to their child on the other side of the world through the USO Reading Program, or seeing a volunteer come out of their shell and gain confidence in themselves, it makes even the most challenging moments worth it a million times over. September marks 10 years since I joined the USO team, and there has never been a moment of regret. 

Share an example of how the MPA has been beneficial in your travels with the USO. 

Hamelund: I spent nine days in Kosovo at the start of 2025 as part of the USOā€™s Joint Expeditionary Team (JET) ā€“ a group of USO employees who travel the world bringing USO goodness to military service members deployed to austere locations without traditional USO support. We traveled the country to visit remote military bases and the U.S. Embassy, bringing snacks, games, and the USO spirit to deployed service members. For every single step of that mission, my JET partner and I worked side-by-side with civil servants from the U.S. government.  

My education through OUā€™s MPA program gave me confidence in understanding the intricacies of our nationā€™s government and how public administrators are responsible for interpreting and enacting policy. Because of this, I felt comfortable collaborating with members of the Department of Defense, State Department, and coalition forces to help successfully deliver the USOā€™s mission to the service members deployed to Kosovo. 

If you're interested in pursuing the Executive MPA degree at OHIO, reach out to discover more . Our online Executive MPA program is nationally ranked in 12 categories and offers a hybrid learning experience with courses both online and on campus.¹ As a student of the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, youā€™ll receive the opportunity to work with an expert coach on professional development topics of your choice. Learn more today.

Related Resources

• How 51ĀŅĀ× Supports Veterans in the Executive MPA and Beyond
• How Real-World Experience Enhances Your MPA Education

Military-Affiliated Student Disclaimer 

Disclaimer: It is not the intent of 51ĀŅĀ× to imply an endorsement by any service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Credit transfer and graduation requirements may vary by college/program. GI BillĀ® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by the VA is available at the official U.S. government website.

Source

1. U.S. News & World Report. 51ĀŅĀ×. Retrieved from .

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