Murdock brings local government voice to Voinovich School Advisory Board

William Murdock’s multi-year participation on the advisory board for the George V. Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service underscores the statewide reach and breadth of the institution’s initiatives.

As executive director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission for the last 13 years, Murdock has led efforts to facilitate and coordinate transportation planning among the over 90 member communities in the Central Ohio Region.

Along the way, the former state official and city planner has interacted extensively with OHIO’s Voinovich School.

Those involvements include partnering with the Voinovich Academy in Dublin’s “Governing Essentials for Local Elected Officials” training series and member employee discounts for pursuing advanced OHIO degrees, including the Executive Master of Public Administration and the Master in Sustainability, Security, and Resilience.

Murdock said the goal is to make it easier for local communities’ employees to attain career development.

“All year long we’re talking about the Voinovich School programs. Every time I visit with one of these communities and their leaders, we have sessions with their HR directors where we say, ‘This is a great way to grow in public service and connect to resources,’” he said. “It’s a great mutual relationship.”

MORPC also places OHIO students in its Local Government Summer Internship Program.

“One of the big touch points is our internship program where we match students with local governments and give them extra support, mentoring and networking. They all have summer projects for their portfolios, and we place Voinovich School students to have real impact in communities,” Murdock said.

“It’s been a very motivating partnership. Some of these students have been hired by the communities for full-time careers. Other students are exposed to public service for the first time.”

Paying it forward

The MORPC director said the initiative aligns with the group’s top goals of “paying it forward.”

“We believe in public service, and we want to help young people connect into public service,” he said. “A lot of our smaller communities have trouble finding students to connect and vice versa, so this is a great partnership with them.”

During his four years of service on the Voinovich School board, Murdock said he has focused not only on the goal of promoting public service but also his connections to central Ohio and local governments.

“We are deeply embedded in rural, suburban, urban Central Ohio. And, with the Dublin, Lancaster and Chillicothe campuses, with so many professionals looking for ongoing education, and with the critical need for applied research and partnerships,” he said. “I think having that voice at the table means a lot.”

Regarding the local government angle, he said, “My whole career is about working to help and connect local governments, and the Voinovich School has so much impact in that space, whether it’s educating or their partnerships and services.”

Murdock said his interests outside of work include a love of the outdoors and trails, which he enjoys with his wife and their three dogs.