Every day, public services quietly keep communities running.
Streets are paved. Water flows from kitchen sinks. Trash is collected. Parks are maintained. Emergency calls are answered.
Most rarely think about the systems—and the people—who make it all work, including local and municipal government employees. Two families with ties to Northern Arizona University are working to change that by helping students see public service as both visible and viable career path.
Building on the legacy of Adolph “Fito” Trujillo
Siblings John Trujillo, ’92, and Deanna Jonovich, ’88, ’08, established the Adolph Trujillo Practitioner in Residence Program at NAU.
The program, which began last spring, brings NAU alumni public servants back to campus each year for one to two days of engagement with students across disciplines. Visiting practitioners hold or have held mid-level executive roles or higher in Arizona local, state, or Tribal governments.
This year’s practitioners in residence include five public service professionals representing multiple disciplines:
- Darrien Benally, ’19, ’24, Communications and Outreach Manager at the Colorado Plateau Foundation, serving as the Applied Indigenous Studies practitioner
- John R. Sefton Jr., ’13, Community Service Director for the City of Chandler, serving as the Geography, Planning, and Recreation practitioner
- Ryan Saxby, ’06, HR and Risk Management Director for the City of Flagstaff, serving as the NAU Honors College practitioner
- Keely Varvel, ’94, Assistant Secretary of State, serving as the Public Administration practitioner
- Amber Martin, ’03, Dependency Court Manager at the Yavapai County Juvenile Justice Center, serving as the Social Work practitioner
They will come to campus for three days in March to engage directly with students through classroom visits, mentoring conversations, and career-focused programming.
The program is named in honor of Trujillo and Jonovich’s late father, Adolph “Fito” Trujillo, ’55. Trujillo grew up in the rural copper-boom town of Miami, Arizona, earned a basketball scholarship to NAU, served in the United States Army, and then returned home and devoted his life to public service—first on the Miami City Council, then the Board of Supervisors.
He also ran a small lumber yard, hiring local youth every summer so they could afford college. Trujillo was the first in his family to attend college.
“He saw the importance of what his education brought to him and to his family, and he felt it was important that he gave back to the community,” says Jonovich.
Both Trujillo and Jonovich credit growing up alongside their father with shaping their own paths into public service. They want NAU students to have that same exposure.
“I think it’s hearing from the people in the trenches doing the hands-on work that can really help you understand where you might want to aspire to grow in a public service job,” says Trujillo.
“For my father, brother, and I, it’s not about a pat on the back or an accolade,” says Jonovich. “The public sector is about doing work that betters our community with compassion, integrity, and honesty.”
Building a pipeline for northern Arizona
Stuart and Kari Kent, ’91, spent their entire careers as public servants before retiring.
“In the public sector, you are doing the things that the vast majority of people don’t think twice about,” says Stuart. “There are a million moving parts to keeping cities, towns, and counties running behind the scenes, but it happens seamlessly, without fanfare, and with limited resources, because there are government professionals doing the work.”
They established the Stuart and Kari Kent Local Government Fellowship, placing two undergraduate students per semester into 15-hour-per-week working roles with Coconino County and the City of Flagstaff.
The fellowship drew more than 150 student applications for the first cohort.
“The reality is, most college students are completely unaware of the career paths available in local government. Our goal is to place them right in the heart of where the delivery of public services takes place through a variety of special projects and department rotations, opening their eyes to opportunities they probably never knew existed” says Kari, who served on the NAU Alumni Association Board for more than two years and has been a member of the SBS Dean’s Advisory Council since 2022.
“When students see first-hand what it means to serve a community, and the impact they can make, even at entry-levels, they develop an understanding that they can drive meaningful change. That’s the type of leadership we want to build,” says Kari.
Both initiatives are led by Sara Rinfret, professor of public administration and director of NAU’s Master of Public Administration program, which celebrated its 45th anniversary this fall and is ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the nation’s top 100 public affairs/public administration graduate programs.
“Through these programs, students gain insight into not just how government works, but why it matters. They learn how to navigate public systems thoughtfully and how to contribute in ways that improve community outcomes,” says Rinfret.
What both families hope students come away with is an appreciation for the people behind that essential work—and maybe even a desire to join them, creating a pipeline of skilled public servants for communities across Arizona.
