When Corine Larsen Bradshaw participated in MPA class discussions on governmental work, she wasn’t just talking about information she knew second-hand—she was talking about her previous job.
Bradshaw completed her undergraduate degree in education with special interests in history, economics, and political science at Utah State University. Rather than teaching, she decided to go to Washington, D.C., to get some political experience. Through a serendipitous connection, she landed a job with Representative Jim Hansen from Utah and worked in his office for three years.
In 1989 she made her way back to Utah and entered the MPA program. Bradshaw worked for the Utah Office of Legislative Research as an intern after her first year and continued there part-time during her second year.
After graduation, Bradshaw worked for Senator Orrin Hatch and then for Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas until she was recruited to work for Senator Robert Bennett. In the nine years at Senator Bennett’s office, she has worked her way up to her current position as legislative director. Bradshaw and her husband, Sheldon, live in Arlington, Virginia.
Bradshaw says she enjoys working in the nation’s capital. “On days when it gets challenging, I still recognize that I’m part of one of the world’s great problem solving bodies—it’s like a big group project,” she says. “Like any group project, I’ve seen both foolish and wise decisions made, and I’ve seen ordinary people be courageous and inspiring.”
Bradshaw’s time in Washington has been meaningful especially because of the events she witnessed. She says she vividly remembers driving across the 14th Street Bridge and seeing the smoke from the Pentagon the morning of 9/11. “Those events have underscored the importance of actively valuing what is important in life,” she says.
