Bill Bush

Two master's degrees from the University of North Georgia (UNG) have impacted Bill Bush’s life and deepened his understanding of the private and public sectors.

In May 2018, he graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA). Then 15 months later, he earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA). Bush said the lessons he learned help him with his work at Allstate, a national insurance company that is setting up a new office in Gainesville.

"My MBA gave me more exposure and experience about business," said the 35-year-old from Gainesville, Georgia. "As I have discussions with customers and clients, I realize that I know certain things because I studied it in one course or another."

His MPA knowledge also assisted him during his election run for Ward 5 representative of Gainesville City Council in fall 2019.

"The MPA gave me the ability to communicate more easily about the issues and understand the administration side of city government and how it worked," he said.

Even though Bush lost, it led to new opportunities. He is on the advisory committee for the Main Street board, which supports downtown Gainesville.

"My election run was a good experience," he said. "It got me more involved and helped me build my connections. It even further helped me understand the uniqueness of Gainesville and Hall County. I hope to put what I learned into a future campaign."