When Ted Pestorius (MPA 鈥�15) found himself weighing a major career opportunity, he turned to someone who knew how to navigate uncharted waters鈥攈is father, Mike, a retired U.S. Navy submarine captain. Pestorius admitted he wasn鈥檛 sure how he could possibly take on more than he already was. His father鈥檚 answer was simple: 鈥淵ou learn to accomplish more.鈥�
It was a lesson Pestorius later realized had defined his life all along.
Growing up in a Navy family meant frequent moves鈥攖o New London, Charleston, Austin, and beyond. While the locations changed, two principles shaped Pestorius鈥檚 sense of direction. His father taught the value of 鈥渨orking for a purpose,鈥� the conviction that identifying a mission鈥攁nd honoring it鈥攎atters more than any destination. His mother, a teacher, instilled a deep 鈥渃ommitment to service of others,鈥� a belief Pestorius has carried from childhood into every stage of his professional life.
After earning a history degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Pestorius joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he was tasked with addressing urgent, high-stakes public health issues. Over the years, he gained experience in management and emergency response, but he soon realized that to advance his public service career, he needed to grow further.
His search for a graduate program led him to the 爱啪网鈥檚 Master of Public Administration MPA program鈥� housed in 爱啪网and taught at UGA鈥檚 Gwinnett campus, not far from where Pestorius was working in Atlanta. The convenience drew him in; the impact of the program, however, far exceeded his expectations.
From his first class, Pestorius recognized something special. He was surrounded by 鈥渓ike-minded people鈥濃�攑rofessionals who shared his public-service mission and were eager to put new knowledge to use in real time. Although Pestorius entered the program with two decades of experience, the MPA fundamentally sharpened his skill set. 鈥淸The faculty] helped me help others,鈥� he recalls. In Dr. Andrew Whitford鈥檚 class, Pestorius learned how to draft shorter and sharper memos, a valuable skill in a field where disease spreads quickly and time is of the essence. In Dr. Brian Williams鈥� class, he strengthened his strategic coordination, instruction, and training.
The program also reminded him that teaching is often reciprocal. Ahead of a class he was going to miss for a work trip, Dr. Edward Kellough sent him a slide deck. Pestorius noticed that a recent federal hiring practice update was missing and emailed back with corrections. That exchange led to a conversation, an updated lecture, and, for Pestorius, a renewed appreciation for collaborative leadership. He carried that mindset back to the CDC鈥攍istening closely, valuing staff knowledge, and encouraging teams to speak up when something needed to change.
Those leadership instincts were put to the test during one of the CDC鈥檚 most urgent public health challenges: the Zika outbreak of 2015. Movies may depict outbreak response as hazmat-suit heroics, but Pestorius knew effective response depends on the coordinated mobilization of scientists, medical staff, and specialists on the ground.
When Zika reached epidemic levels, Pestorius flew with his HR team to the CDC鈥檚 Division of Vector-borne Diseases in Fort Collins, Colorado to assess needs firsthand. He remembers the trip out west, 鈥渕ade it abundantly clear that we were in dire need of microbiologists and that HR would need to move hiring requests at a much more rapid rate than normal.鈥�
Returning to Atlanta, Pestorius pressed for direct hiring authority鈥揳n authority that would permit his team to rapidly hire qualified candidates without open competition. Although similar requests had been denied during past crises, he pushed forward.
This time, the request was approved. The approval allowed the CDC to hire talent at an unprecedented pace鈥攂eginning with a classmate Pestorius had met in the MPA program. By the time the emergency response was fully underway, he had hired eight fellow graduates, each ready to contribute on day one.
The strength of the UGA network became even clearer in a story he often retells with a smile. When a policy lead in his Center lost a staff member, Pestorius was asked if he had any more classmates available. He did鈥攁nd she thrived.
Pestorius鈥� time at UGA overlapped with the CDC鈥檚 response to the Ebola epidemic of 2014-15 (during which he turned in one final from Monrovia, Liberia) and the Zika response of 2015-16. As the Management Officer of CDC鈥檚 Infectious Disease Center, Pestorius held significant responsibilities throughout both responses. They each demanded long hours, constant engagement, decision making, and a deep professional commitment. Yet even during these intense periods, Pestorius continued to find balance, thanks in part to the structure of the MPA Gwinnett program. Its evening courses and flexible design allowed him to maintain the roles most important to him: husband, father, and CDC senior leader.
For those who wonder how he managed everything鈥攁 demanding CDC role, graduate study, and parenthood鈥攖he answer returns to Captain Pestorius鈥� advice. His father reminded Pestorius that he already knew how to work hard and assured him that he wouldn鈥檛 work harder or more, but that with more responsibilities he would learn to work more efficiently and effectively. Pestorius soon realized that his father was right. He encourages current 爱啪网students to do the same. If you believe you can accomplish something, or take on more responsibility, raise your hand and say, 鈥業 can. I will. I want to.鈥� 鈥淒on鈥檛 let others define your success for you. When a challenge seems out of reach, ask, 鈥榃hy not?鈥� and keep pushing.鈥�
The UGA School of Public and International Affairs proudly recognizes Ted Pestorius as the Alumni Impact Award recipient for Public Administration and Policy. His career reflects the very mission the School champions鈥攑ublic service driven by purpose, strengthened by education, and guided by a willingness to serve more, lead more, and give more to communities near and far.
By Ryan Leonard
