Jessica Venvertloh

Jessica Venvertloh, an Ethan Allen, Rachel Hut Bremen Memorial fund, and Harry Nalbandian Public Service scholar, graduated summa cum laude from Truman State University with a Bachelor of Science in political science and justice systems in 2022. As an undergraduate, she held two internship positions in city governments that shaped her passion for public service and career aspirations. At the City of Springfield, MO, Jessica worked on a project concerning the identification of key performance indicators for a subset of city departments. In Kirksville, MO, her focus was community development; she identified funding and incentives to aid in the rehabilitation of blighted housing stock and bolster the city’s code enforcement. Jessica also served as an associate senator for Truman’s student government and completed projects related to academic affairs. Her efforts improved the university’s civics exam and laid the groundwork for a policy proposal to reconsider aspects of the academic calendar. She is excited to continue her public service journey and observe the impact of her work within Kansas and Missouri local communities as part of the KU MPA program.