Gary DeCramer

Areas of Expertise

Political and nonprofit leadership, ethical practice in public affairs, critical theory, reflective practice and adult learning, rural development, and cooperative development 

Biography

Gary DeCramer has served as a state senator representing the southwestern region of Minnesota, as state director of USDA Rural Development, principal planning analyst for Hennepin Countys Office of Planning and Development, senior fellow in the Humphrey School's State and Local Policy Program and the University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies, and interim president of Southwest State University in Marshall, Minnesota. He formerly was a board member for Project Harvest Hope, an organization dedicated to values-based economic and agricultural development in the villages of the Transylvanian region of Romania. DeCramer is the former chair of the board of directors of DARTS, a nonprofit organization whose 200 employees and 1,300 volunteers provide transportation, care giver, and other services throughout Dakota County. 

Gary is the director of the Humphrey School's mid-career Master of Public Affairs program. He teaches in that program and in the University's leadership minor.

He holds a master's degree in English from the University of Oklahoma and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Courses Taught

Go to the University of Minnesota One Stop website to apply for these and other public affairs courses.

For syllabi for the current or upcoming semester, please visit the University of Minnesota's Course Guide and look for the syllabus icon. If the syllabus is not there, contact the instructor directly. Syllabi are available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact Jeremy Gordon at gord0215@umn.edu or 612-624-7095 for assistance.

Fall 2011

• PA 5051: Cohort Leadership I
• PA 5107: Leadership, Reflective Practice, and Critical Theory: A Practicum
• PA 8991: Independent Study

Spring 2012

• PA 5051: Cohort Leadership II
• PA 5106: Foundations of Ethical Practice
• PA 8991: Independent Study