by Patrick Lawlor, MPA 2016

Many of us who have suffered through countless New England winters often dream about what winters would be like in a place like Arizona: No more salt stains on our shoes, no more bone-chilling walks to the T stop. But Courtenay Loiselle, Public Administration ’16, did just the opposite. Having moved to Boston from Tucson in 2001, Loiselle has already made her mark in affordable housing and there is nothing slowing her down. With a degree in business administration from Boston University, Loiselle began her career in housing at the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership. Loiselle helped individuals and families navigate through the funding of Section 8 housing and housing voucher programs to access programs that were available to them. Loiselle has worked in several roles involving access to affordable housing (she has worked in shelters for women fleeing domestic violence, and for a program diverting families from homeless shelters), all while promoting the importance of customer service. As the strategic housing partnership coordinator for the Money Follows the Person program, Loiselle now coordinates housing for low-income elders or persons with disabilities as they transition from nursing homes into the community.

When she’s not empowering some of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens to be independent and active in their communities, Loiselle is empowering herself by perfecting her self-defense skills as a student of Krav Maga—an Israeli self-defense technique. Loiselle is looking forward to applying the valuable knowledge base the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program provides to excel in government administration and to more effectively help those in need.

Her experience and goal-oriented career certainly reflect the great work the MPA students have done—and what the future holds for them. For our sake, we hope she has become adjusted to our winters and is here to stay.