Christian Montz

M.P.A. graduate finalist in Presidential Fellowship

Christian Montz leaves UTC with a Master's of Public Administration degree and a career ahead in Atlanta, where he will work for the IRS Wage and Investment headquarters as an Operations Research Analyst beginning June 1st.

“We are a happy match,” Montz said.

The IRS offer was one of five Montz received at a job fair in Washington DC where representatives from dozens of federal government agencies met finalists in the Presidential Management Fellowship program.

Montz was nominated by the UTC faculty for the Presidential Management Fellowship, a prestigious program that requires applicants to compete against students from across the nation for a limited number of job assignments with the federal government, and he successfully completed the program. Prior to 2004, the Presidential Management Fellowship was called the Presidential Management Internship and the competition was limited to graduate students.

“The program was revamped by the Bush administration so that now it is open to career civil servants as well as students. The competition has become more intense with this change, so Christian's selection is that much more impressive,” said Dr. David Edwards, UC Foundation Associate Professor and MPA Coordinator.

His six years of service with the U.S. Army gave him a competitive edge, according to Montz, who speaks Spanish and German. He was a logistical specialist with the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of sergeant. Montz was awarded the Presidential Service Badge and the Joint Meritorious Commendation Medal for his work as a communications controller and secure voice supervisor while he was assigned to the White House Communications Agency.

After working with the U. S. Postal Service in Nashville, Montz came to The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with the assistance of a HUD fellowship, and he entered the M.P.A. program. He completed the HUD fellowship under the direction of David Eichenthal, Chattanooga City Finance Officer and Director of the Office of Performance Review. Montz and Eichenthal conducted a Chattanooga City Court review, recommending a consolidation of operations to “get more for less.”

Montz served as president of the Graduate Students Association.

"Christian provided a clear direction for the activities of the GSA this year, emphasizing preparation for careers. He instituted a career seminar that featured sessions on searching for positions, interviewing, and negotiating salary.The seminars attracted many participants and received accolades," according to Dr. Deborah Arfken, Dean of The Graduate School and University Registrar.

Montz is the most recent of several M.P.A. students who have been selected through the Presidential Management Internship/Fellowship process.

“We currently have two alumni in the program. David Chung will complete the internship phase in the next few months and Brian Fiore is entering his second year,” Edwards said.