Patty Gentrup named interim director of Public Management Center

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas School of Public Affairs & Administration has named Patty Gentrup as interim director of the Public Management Center (PMC). Laura Howard resigned from the position last week when Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly appointed her to serve as interim director of two key state social services cabinets, the departments for Children & Families and Aging & Disability Services.

“We are so grateful to Patty for stepping into this role as our former director, Laura Howard, transitions to her cabinet position with Governor Kelly,” said School Director Rosemary O’Leary. “We have every confidence that Patty will be a fantastic director.”

Gentrup has been with the center for the past year as manager of consulting services. She comes with a wealth of local government experience and strong ties to the public affairs & administration school. Gentrup is an alumna, having received her master’s degree in public administration from the No. 1-ranked program. She went on to serve as the board president of the school’s city management alumni network, the KUCIMATS.

Professionally, Gentrup served as the city administrator of Liberty, Missouri, for nearly six years before she went into management consulting for the last 14 years – with a local firm and two national firms.

“Patty brings experience working with local governments, which is the very heart of our program. Her expertise in strategic planning, organizational leadership and analysis is the skill set we are looking for as we make this transition,” O’Leary said.

The PMC provides professional training for public sector employees at all levels of government and nonprofit agencies. In addition to the consulting services, the center runs the Certified Public Manager program, the Emerging Leaders Academy, the Supervisory Leadership Training program and the Law Enforcement Leadership Academy, a partnership with the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. The PMC works with hundreds of public sector employees or community members a year, and has experienced a record high level of enrollment and consulting clients as it heads into 2019.