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Alumni Profile: Grant Dailey, King County Management Auditor

September 9, 2020

Grant_Dailey_head_shot

This is the second in a series of profiles of Jackson School alumni who focused on cybersecurity and international studies during their degree.

Grant Dailey works in the King County Auditor’s Office as a Management Auditor. He graduated in 2019 with concurrent graduate degrees: Master of Public Administration and Master of Arts in International Studies.

Where are you now? What are you doing?

I am fortunate to work for King County Auditor’s Office as a Management Auditor. In addition to our standard work of advising the County Council and the heads of executive agencies about ways to make government more efficient, effective, and equitable, we have begun work on a few projects related to the county’s pandemic response.

What were the most impactful educational experiences you had at the UW?

Alongside my internship with the Auditor’s Office which ultimately led to my current career, the Global Research Groups were some of the most impactful experiences I had at UW. Working with a team to conduct research, write reports, and develop presentations helped to crystallize many of the topics covered in classes and certainly helped me to become a more competitive job applicant upon graduation. The real-world application of the research and interactions with professionals made the work more meaningful and, in many ways, more enjoyable than standard coursework.

Which Global Research Group did you work on?

I worked as part of the Election Security: International Norms and Threat Actors team for Microsoft, as well as the Digital Financial Services project “Expanding Financial Inclusion for Seattle-Area Refugees.”

Did your Global Research Group experience give or hone any skills that you have used since graduation?

The project definitely helped to hone my ability to work with a team under a deadline as well as to distill research and all of its associated jargon into language that is succinct and easily understood. It also further developed my ability to connect complex and sometimes seemingly disparate items into a coherent and cohesive history. Using these histories to create lessons learned and recommendations for future actions was greatly fulfilling.

Are there any elements of your Jackson School education that you have really carried with you after graduation? What are they and why?

My Jackson School experience really bolstered my confidence to grapple with complex issues, and emphasized the value of speaking with others to help develop or challenge my own ideas and ways of thinking.

This publication was made possible in part by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the author.