Dr. Misty Freeman, inaugural graduate of the School of Public Policy’s doctoral program, reflects on her unexpected academic journey
Dr. Misty Freeman
By Selene Lawrence, CLA Student Writer- October 9, 2024
When Misty Mason Freeman, M.P.P. ‘12, Ph.D. ‘16, got a job at the human services office in Mariposa County, California, in 2005, she had no idea that it would set in motion a years-long journey to earning a master’s and doctoral degree from Oregon State University and becoming the director of the Oregon Legislative Policy Office.
Soon after completing her undergraduate studies in politics and business administration, Freeman’s career began as a district operations specialist for an income tax preparation franchise.
She remained in that role for three tax seasons before beginning her work in Mariposa County, where she worked analyzing data around familial support and child welfare systems. During Freeman’s time there, she noticed a schism between the intentions behind policy initiatives and the outcomes of them.
“There was this disconnect between things that decision makers thought would be helpful and what the actual impact of those choices was, and in many cases it was making it more difficult to serve families,” she explained. “I just started getting it in my head like, ‘wow, I wish there was someone to bridge the gap so that people could understand.’”
The more time that Freeman spent working at the human services office, the more she found that she couldn’t let go of the systemic issues she encountered in the policy process. Freeman recalled often wishing that there was some way she could help, until one day, one of her mentors encouraged her to seek out a master’s degree in public policy (M.P.P.). While Freeman doubted it would be possible at first, she was soon welcomed to Oregon State’s College of Liberal Arts as both a graduate student and teaching assistant.
“When I started thinking about doing a master’s of public policy program, I wanted to get out of the context of the California state decision making process,” Freeman said. “What specifically drew me to Oregon State University was the rural studies minor.” Freeman’s choice of minor opened her eyes to the socioeconomic afflictions that were unique to Oregon’s rural communities, something that would remain a primary focus throughout her degree programs.
Inspired by her work in Mariposa County, Freeman focused her M.P.P. on child welfare systems in rural areas. An internship opportunity brought her to Oregon’s Klamath County, where she assessed data of the county’s foster care programs and held interviews with their organizational stakeholders. Freeman later focused her master’s thesis on Klamath’s indigenous populations and what could be done to improve available services for them. “One of the findings was that the stakeholders really felt that the kids with tribal ancestry were being left behind in the provision of services,” Freeman said, “and what I certainly found was that some of these improvements that were being suggested by the stakeholders to support tribal youth and families would improve the system across the board for everyone.”
In the summer of 2012, OSU’s School of Public Policy (S.P.P.) doctoral program was established. Freeman decided to pursue her Ph.D. as one of the program’s first students. She would come to be one of the first graduates of the school. At the start, Freeman struggled with self-esteem and imposter syndrome.
“I didn’t even think M.P.P. was possible for me,” she said. “A huge part of my Ph.D. program was an emotional journey for me.” Freeman credits therapy and the support of her partner and faith community in helping her find empowerment and confidence in continuing her education.
As a Ph.D. student, Freeman encountered another difficult choice in her emotional and academic journey: the decision to change the primary focus of her degree program. “To me, the care for vulnerable young people is about the most important thing we can do in our society,” Freeman said. Ultimately, it was not something she could take on every day without an emotional toll. Still wanting to carry on the work she was doing for rural populations and vulnerable communities, Freeman pivoted her focus to water and environmental policy.
Freeman refused to back down from the challenges she had encountered and quickly flourished during her time in the program. “Part of the reason it was so fantastic was that I got to dive in right away,” she said. One of Freeman’s favorite courses during her Ph.D. program was the advanced policy theory class taught by Brent Steel and Denise Lach. “I am so grateful for that time that they gave us. The readings were some of the most meaty, difficult readings on public policy that I’ve ever read, but worth every moment,” Freeman said. While working on her doctorate, Freeman not only became an expert on theories and practical application of public policy, but also strengthened her technical and quantitative analysis skills.
During the first year of her Ph.D. program, Freeman worked as an intern for Oregon’s Legislative Policy and Research Office. After completing her doctorate degree, she worked there again in a seasonal position as a policy analyst for natural resources and environmental committees. Once the legislative season ended, Freeman moved back to California and returned to her roots in Mariposa County, this time working as a senior analyst focusing on policy surrounding wildfire recovery and housing support. In that role, Freeman worked on setting up different project management tools for the department. When a permanent policy analyst position opened up back at Oregon’s Legislative Policy and Research Office, she returned to Oregon. “No one was surprised,” Freeman said. “By that point, Oregon had kind of become our home.”
The Legislative Policy Office provides research and support for legislators and committees, as well as legislative resources, language access services, and policy analysis and data tools to the public. After a year and a half, Freeman became the interim director of the office and continued in that role for a year before being permanently appointed to the position. Now, Freeman continues policy research and analysis, through which she works to improve the quality of life of Oregon’s communities.