Welcome to Marana!

I had a wonderful and warm welcome from all the people at the Town of Marana. Today was the first day of my Management Internship and it was a whirlwind. Let's begin with a short introduction...

My name is Amanda Jones and I just graduated with my Master's in Public Administration (MPA) last week! I am excited to be finished with school, and to begin my new adventure at this internship. During my graduate career I studied local government and public finance, and I am excited to use these skills in my time at Marana. I was lucky enough to be born and raised in the Tucson area and am thrilled to be able to remain in Southern Arizona and work with such a thriving municipality.

There was so much on the scheduled today it is hard to choose a starting point. This morning myself and the other wonderful management intern, Vickie, began with a meeting with the Town Manager, Gilbert Davidson, and the Deputy Town Manager, Del Post. They were friendly, open and very community driven. It was very reassuring to know that my supervisor was accessible to all levels, including the interns. We had a nice discussion about expectations and goals for my internship as well as for the Town, and what exciting new projects are coming up during the summer.

I was also able to attend a department meeting with the Directors from various service areas. There is a lot of camaraderie between these staff members, and they made me feel very welcome. This meeting included process for rolling out some new initiatives and how to tackle a potential issue with in house materials. Both of these issues were handled with sensitivity and a plan of action was decided upon the end of the meeting for a way to move forward.

The final undertaking today was a tour of the whole Town. I was taken by the Director of Strategic Initiatives, Josh Wright, around to see almost the entire 120 square miles that are within the boundaries of Marana. From San Lucas to the intersection of Orange Grove and Thornydale, I was able to see all that Marana has to offer. I had not been up to the Dove Mountain and Ritz-Carlton area, and it is beautiful! The homes as well as the landscape are brilliant, being able to live up there and wake up to that view everyday would be amazing. There is even a tunnel that leads to McClintock’s restaurant that was put in by the developer! There were cool things around every corner.

Marana incorporates so much, I had no idea. There is an airport, incredible industry infrastructure, retail and beautiful homes and developments. I am looking forward to learning more about each of these areas and departments as I complete my rotations. Tomorrow I am going to the Civil Legal Department!