2019 Wes McClure Scholarship Winners

The California City Management Foundation (CCMF) is pleased to announce the following individuals as the winners of the 2019 Wes McClure Scholarship competition: Spencer Winkle of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and Grace Yoon-Taylor of California State University, Fullerton (CSUF).

[twocol_one]

[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]

[/twocol_one_last]

Spencer earned his Bachelor of Arts in Administration with a concentration in management from California State University, San Bernardino and is currently pursuing his Master’s in Public Administration at the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy. Spencer has served as an intern for the City of Indian Wells and hopes to take on a role where he is helping formulate and promote policies to strengthen community trust in local government. Click/tap here to view Spencer’s scholarship application.

Being diagnosed with cerebral palsy encouraged me to help others. Working for the City of Indian Wells taught me that local government is an outlet for accomplishing this. I admire municipalities’ ability to enact public policy with a direct and visible impact.

Grace completed her Bachelors in Sociology at Ewha Womans University along with a Masters in Social Science from the University of Chicago. She has served as the Executive Director of the Korean American Family Service Center in New York for 7 years. It was during this time where she learned the key role administration played in having a healthy and effective organization. After relocating to Southern California, Grace wanted to leverage her nonprofit experience and serve in the public sector. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Administration from California State University, Fullerton while concurrently interning at the City of Huntington Beach. Click/tap here to view Grace’s scholarship application.

The totality of my experiences is what differentiates me and has shaped my passion for the public sector and taking a holistic approach to problem solving and administration. In the future, I hope to find a place for myself at the decision-making table – where I can then continue to be a voice for those who are underrepresented and underserved.

Wes McClure, for whom the annual scholarship was named, worked as City Manager of San Leandro for 28 years. He passed away at the age of 94 on December 20, 2009. Wes had many outstanding attributes, including an unparalleled ability to listen. His patience and skill in this regard contributed enormously to his successful career working with city councils and impacted CCMF directly during the formation of the foundation, in which Wes played an integral part. This award was created in honor of Wes’s outstanding and significant contributions to the City Manager’s Department, League of California Cities, the State of California and the City Management profession.

“We were impressed by Spencer and Grace’s commitment to public policy and are confident that both will go on to have successful careers in local government,” said Fran Mancia, Chair of the CCMF Scholarship Committee. “As a part of our commitment to fostering the growth of future city managers, the CCMF Board recently approved an expansion to the Wes McClure Scholarship fund. As a result, next year we will be offering five scholarships instead of the current two.”