Catherine Farina-Molnar’s Master of Public Administration and Leadership Capstone: Transforming Parks and Public Service in North Canton 

For Catherine Farina-Molnar, earning her Master of Public Administration and Leadership (MPAL) from The Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs wasn’t about credentials. It was about learning and applying real skills to make her community better. 

Catherine became City Manager of North Canton in March 2024, stepping into a demanding role that oversees every department in the city, from police and fire to streets, water, parks and administration.  

“I almost dropped out of the program. But then I was like, ‘No, I need this. Just stick with it. I can do this, I got this.’ And so, I did,” she recalled. “It is a time management commitment for a working professional, but it is manageable. When you get that diploma, and walk across that stage, it is all worth it.”   

Transforming the Parks Department 

Before taking on the city manager role, Catherine served as deputy director and led a project that would become an inspiration for her capstone: developing an adaptive playground for children with special needs, the Possibility Playground at Dogwood Park. 

“It won the State of Ohio’s Ohio Parks and Rec Association Governor’s Award as the best park development in the state of Ohio in 2022,” she said. “This was a $1.8 million project … all covered with grants.” 

But she also recognized a bigger gap in North Canton’s services: “We just have parks. We don’t have parks and recreation. A lot of cities have parks and recreation. So they have programming. They’re bringing in revenue, and then they have a strategic person guiding all of this, getting grants and sponsorships, and finding revenue sources, or running levy campaigns.” 

This gap became the focus of her MPAL Capstone. 

“My capstone is going to … analyze how we go from just cutting the grass, cleaning the bathrooms, to creating a new parks and recreation department. What’s the cost? What’s the feasibility of it?” she explained.  

During her project, she analyzed staffing models, seasonal programming, aquatics, leagues, and long-term funding considerations, with a focus on sustainable revenue. 

Leveraging Walsh University for MPAL Capstone course 

A unique part of her graduate capstone project was exploring a partnership with Walsh University, which offers a sports management degree program. Catherine saw an opportunity to integrate student learning into hands-on city services while addressing operational needs. 

“That’s where I could explore the potential of utilizing Walsh students who are pursuing that degree field, real-world recreation, sports management experience,” she said. By embedding Walsh students in city programming, Catherine aims to provide hands-on experience in recreation management, support city programs with skilled interns, and create a pipeline of future professionals familiar with municipal operations. 

“This partnership not only builds capacity for our parks and recreation programming but also strengthens our connection to the community and the university,” she explained. It aligns with the city’s master plan goal of collaborating with Walsh to expand engagement, resources, and innovation in public services. 

Applying MPAL leadership and data skills in city management 

Catherine’s capstone didn’t just remain a classroom exercise; it informed her work immediately. “One of the key starts … before, we used to just try to make decisions at City Hall in a vacuum,” she said. “I never realized how important stakeholder analysis is. First identification, who is your stakeholder group? Then really analyzing and using the power grid chart.” 

She launched a citywide parks survey, conducted community engagement sessions at fairs and festivals, and met with local youth organizations. “I conducted and finished up stakeholder meetings and found out a ton of information from them,” she said, noting the youth leagues’ struggles with limited green space. 

Catherine also drew directly on the MPAL statistics coursework to interpret survey data and create evidence-based recommendations. “Everybody in the MPAL program will say the stats class almost killed us, like, stats are hard, but the class was good because obviously it helps you interpret a lot of data.” 

Leadership lessons from MPAL coursework  

Leadership training was a central takeaway. 

“It’s the ‘people stuff’ that’s always so hard,” she said. She credits her MPAL leadership courses for teaching her authentic and caring approaches to management. 

“Authentic leadership was a really big [takeaway] for me … how to connect with people, how to be authentic and intentional and really spend that time and listen to your people, show up for them.” 

She described a recent snow event where she personally delivered food and drinks to staff working long shifts. 

“One guy even said he’s been here 44 years … and in 44 years, no city manager has ever come down to the service garage and personally delivered food.  “It was such a little thing, but that’s one way you show up for your people.” 

Public value as a guiding principle 

Another core lesson from the MPAL program was public value. “I’m conscious of it all the time that my salary is taxpayer dollars,” Catherine said. 

She encourages her staff to ensure every citizen interaction reflects this principle. “Every single person we come in contact with has to go away feeling they got good public value for their money…that’s value. That’s good value.” 

She illustrated this with her staff helping residents navigate permit processes, ensuring compliance, and providing clear guidance. Even taking steps to walk them through routine processes that, for some, may prove challenging. It’s that extra step of kindness and courtesy that provides value for others. 

Strategic leadership and collaboration in practice 

Catherine’s capstone project continues to guide the City of North Canton’s work. The City Council recently approved funding for a parks master plan consultant, and the team is exploring staffing structures to implement the plan. She is also spearheading projects like the possibility of a new swimming pool, demonstrating the ongoing integration of her MPAL skills into real city projects. 

Reflecting on the program, Catherine emphasized collaboration, project-based learning, and peer networks. 

“I loved the teamwork. Those were great. The project work we got to do with people … you learn really quickly about different personalities.”  

She also highlighted the value of MPAL’s network.

“Even though it’s online, I have made connections with city managers and other public employees from around Ohio, and in other states like Arizona and New York. I still talk to them frequently, and we’re all connected on LinkedIn.” 

Catherine’s experience underscores exactly what the MPAL program aims to do: equip professionals to apply leadership, strategy, and analysis in real-world public administration. 

“I’m like the spokesperson for highly recommending that everybody does it, no matter what age you are or where you are in your career,” she said. 

Her capstone project didn’t just contribute to a degree; it laid out the foundation for lasting community impact, integrated leadership, and a city administration informed by strategic, evidence-based public service.