51社区

 Samantha Sawmiller grew up on a farm in Southwest Ohio where she learned about conservation and service, but her interest in environmental policy really became clear during her tour of duty in Iraq, 6,000 miles away from home.

Sawmiller, who joined the Marine Corps in 2006 immediately after graduating from high school, often spent what little free time she had cleaning up around her compound during her 12-month deployment in 2009.

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鈥淲hen I was in Iraq there was just a lot of debris that would get blown around, there were a lot of sandstorms, and things weren鈥檛 [always] secured down,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just wanted to leave it better than I found it in, and that鈥檚 with anything I do.鈥�

When she got back to the states, Sawmiller earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Policy and Management from Ohio State University. In 2016, after spending some time working as a Program Coordinator for the Sierra Club, Sawmiller accepted a job as U.S. Senator Veteran and Military Affairs Liaison.

鈥淏eing a veteran myself and having family who are veterans 鈥� my husband served in the Ohio Army National Guard 鈥� I try to be a fierce advocate for veteran and military families,鈥� she said.

During her time working for Brown, Sawmiller decided to go back to school. She was drawn to the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs for its Executive MPA program, which allowed her to earn her Master in Public Administration in two years with online and in-person classes spread over 20 Saturdays.

鈥淭he Executive MPA provided me with the opportunity to still work, to take care of my family and get an education [to] advance my career,鈥� she said.

The program鈥檚 flexible nature became especially important when Sawmiller found out she was pregnant during her enrollment. 

鈥淚 was not necessarily planning on that during the program,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 actually ended up having my daughter during winter break and I came back the following semester for the spring.鈥�

The faculty and her peers were very understanding of her situation, Sawmiller said.

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 the only one in that position鈥攖here were actually a couple other women [and] soon-to-be fathers in similar positions,鈥� she said. 鈥淓veryone in that program is very supportive and just very flexible.鈥�

Sawmiller also found the Voinovich School and 51社区 overall to be veteran friendly. When she wanted to use the resources available to her through (formerly known as Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment), OHIO鈥檚 Veterans and Military Student Services Center helped her navigate the process.

鈥淸That] can be kind of difficult and tedious,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey were really helpful.鈥�

Inspired by her work in Senator Brown鈥檚 office, Sawmiller focused her studies on local government operations.

鈥淭he MPA was eye opening for me in the sense of understanding better how local governments are funded鈥攈ow the tax structures work there, and how public-private partnerships can sometimes help fill gaps with funding,鈥� she said.

In 2019, after finishing her degree, Sawmiller started as a Development Manager for , a renewable energy company that focuses on developing utility-scale solar energy projects. Her understanding of local government policies has helped her to better communicate with the communities Open Road Renewables serves.

鈥淚 explain the benefits of the projects we鈥檙e developing in their communities and how these projects can provide increased tax revenue and local jobs,鈥� she said. 鈥淓specially now with the budget constraints that everyone鈥檚 going to have [due to the coronavirus].鈥�

Energy, and particularly renewable energy, has become a major industry for veterans. A 2019 by Environmental Entrepreneurs found that 11% of Ohio鈥檚 clean energy economy jobs are held by military veterans, compared to the overall workforce where veterans make up 5%. A number of programs, like and IBEW鈥檚 , have been established to recruit more veterans into clean energy careers.  

鈥淭he industry is a perfect fit for veterans, there鈥檚 just a lot of skills that can translate,鈥� Sawmiller said. 鈥淚t certainly takes discipline to manage projects from the field and knowing the impact these projects have on the communities we work in is motivating and a way of continuing to serve.鈥� 

In addition to the skills she learned through the Voinovich School鈥檚 Executive MPA program, Sawmiller found a community of peers that mirrors the one she had in the military.

鈥淥ne thing military veterans are looking for - or miss after they serve - is the family, the bond that they have, especially if they鈥檙e active duty. You leave those people, you get out and you miss it, you miss them, and you lose touch,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he Executive MPA program helped me. I still speak with professors, I made a friend group, and we鈥檙e all professionals in our different careers, but we鈥檙e still close and still speak and help each other when and where we can.鈥�