Q&A with Samuel Mann

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you currently do for work. 

I hold a Master of Business Administration from the Booth School of Business and a Master of Public Policy from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, with concentrations in Data Analytics, Economics, Strategic Management, and Business, Society, and Sustainability. I interned with GFOA in the summer of 2023, working with the research and consulting teams. Prior to my graduate studies, I earned a Bachelor's degree in Religious Studies from the University of Utah and participated in an AmeriCorps national service program with City Year Boston, where I assisted in two fifth-grade classrooms and facilitated an after-school program. Outside the office, I enjoy listening to podcasts, watching NCAA football, and taking road trips with my wife, son, and dog.

After graduating in the spring of 2025, I accepted a position with the City of Long Beach as a Management Assistant. The City of Long Beach Management Assistant Program is the longest running nationally ranked municipal management development program in California. The Management Assistant Program consists of four, three-month department rotations; one rotation each in the City Manager's Office, the Department of Financial Management, and two other rotations in one of the City’s 24 Departments.

Did you always think you wanted to work in local government? What experiences or interests led you in this direction?

I didn't even know that I wanted to work in local government when I started grad school. I left the education space hoping to address the societal ills that were negatively impacting my students' classroom experiences. It wasn't until my internship with GFOA that I realized just how deep an impact local governments have on the lives of their residents. Local governments provide some of the most foundational services we rely on, everything the water we drink to the roads we drive on. By working for a local government, it is my hope that I can play some small role in helping children like my former students go to school without some of the distractions I witnessed.

Walk us through your career journey since your time as a GFOA intern. What have been some of the key steps along the way?

After interning for GFOA, I interned for the Community Investment Corporation (a Chicago community development financial institution). I also worked on a project for the Cook County Land Bank Authority as part of a fellowship I participated in. Finally, I am in the midst of my first post-graduate school position as a Management Assistant for the City of Long Beach.

How did the GFOA internship contribute to your professional development? What skills or experiences did you gain that have stayed with you?

GFOA's commitment to process improvement and dedication to making local governments as efficient as possible has definitely stayed with me. Being part of ERP consulting projects taught me how to analyze diverse processes and continually question why legacy systems are being used and whether they are serving stakeholders. Every organization has room for improvement within their systems and processes, and local government is no exception.

Has your perspective on local government changed since you were an intern? If so, how?

Before beginning my current role, I was unaware of just how complex municipal organizations can be. Long Beach is the seventh largest city in California with a major port, airport, and every utility except for electricity. Working for Long Beach is like working for an organization made up of 24 diverse mid-sized businesses. This fact can cause some difficulties. However, this breadth of scope is part of what makes a career in local government so rewarding.

What early-career skills or lessons have been most valuable to you in your work today?

Relationship management. In highly collaborative workspaces, strong working relationships are prerequisite to any success. Further, the higher up one rises in any organization, the more relationships you are tasked with managing and the higher the stakes get. Any chance to practice these skills early in one's career is a golden opportunity.

If you could go back, is there anything you would have done differently in the early stages of your career?

I am absolutely still in the early stages of my career, so I do not yet have the true benefit of hindsight. However, if there was one thing that I would do differently, it would be spending some more time working between my undergraduate and graduate programs. Some additional hands-on experience would have been beneficial during my graduate school experience.

Looking ahead, where do you see yourself going next in your career?

As short as my tenure in local government service has been so far, I have deeply enjoyed my experience. I see myself continuing to work for residents of Long Beach in any number of capacities. Eventually, I would like to reach a point in my career where my position in the organization allows me to have outsized, positive impact on the lives of my family and neighbors.