Navy Veteran Matthew Oaks successfully completed The Veterans Local Government Management Fellowship (VLGMF) with the City of Marysville. The 16- to 20- week fellowship, sponsored by the International City/County Managers Association, is designed to provide transitioning service members with management training and hands-on experience with the goal of preparing them for smooth transitions into local government careers.

“I expected to build a strong network and a working knowledge of how the city operates,” Oaks said. “This fellowship will prepare me for a career in local government by providing real world exposure to daily operations and policy decisions of the Mayor-Council that I can leverage in the future.”          

Throughout the course of the fellowship, Oaks collaborated with city staff on projects with the Finance, Police, Public Works and Human Resources departments. He participated in and presented on the behalf of department directors in City Council and Committee meetings.     

Finance Director Sandy Langdon praised Oaks’ work crafting language and a table to help developers calculate potential savings from a tax exemption available in the Cascade Industrial Center (Manufacturing Industrial Area).

“I would recommend the fellowship to other transitioning service members because it provides a superb view of how a local government serves the community,” Oaks said.

“I found countless correlations between the functions of each city department and the Navy’s organizational structure. City of Marysville employees come to work every day eager to serve their community, something service members can relate to.”      

Mayor Jon Nehring said, “We were very fortunate to obtain Matthew’s services through this great fellowship program. He has contributed significantly to our city over these past few months in a variety of departments and critical projects. We are incredibly grateful for his service to our country and to our local community.”

Oaks joined the U.S. Navy from Bothell. Through his 22 years of active duty service, he deployed six times while rising to the highest enlisted rank of Master Chief Petty Officer. He earned his associate degree from Everett Community College and Bachelor of General Studies from Columbia College, graduating magna cum laude.  He lives with his wife and family in north Snohomish County.    

Find additional information about the VLGMF program at https://icma.org/vlgmf.