Greg Devereaux, a West Virginia University graduate who carved out a successful career as a city manager in California, will serve as the Division of Public Administrations first-ever Visiting Resident this month.

Devereauxs residency will be Thursday and Friday, Oct. 12-13.

The Parkersburg native is currently city manager for Ontario, Calif., and has worked in local and state government for more than 30 years, both in West Virginia and California.

Previous appointments include stints as Deputy Commissioner of Culture and History for the State of West Virginia, and as acting Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Long Beach, Calif.

He also directed community development projects for the city of Garden Grove, Calif., and was city manager of Fontana, Calif.

He will lecture in two Master of Public Administration (MPA) program seminars:Career Lessons from City Management,a graduate capstone lecture Oct. 12; andRandom Thoughts on Local Government from an Unrepentant City Manager,Oct. 13, which is geared to students in a graduate course focusing on local government administration.

WVU Public Administration chair Dr. Chris Plein said the new residency is a prime opportunity for students to glean insights from public administration professionals who participate in the process every day.

The value of these visits is immeasurable,Plein said.Students can gain knowledge on the practice of public administration from those who have had experience in the field. This is a major event for us and will be the highlight of the Division of Public Administrations Homecoming week.

The Division of Public Administration will also sponsor a drop-in reception from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 12 in Room 400 Knapp Hall, on the Downtown Campus.

The residency is made possible through the support of Dan Richards, a 1978 WVU graduate.

WVU s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences is the home of the Division of Public Administration.

For more information, Chris Plein at lplein@wvu.edu or 304-293-2614, ext. 3157.