SUU to Director of Leisure Services

Cody Schmitt is deputy director of leisure services for St. George, Utah, and a proud 2017 graduate of Southern Utah University’s master of public administration (MPA) program.

SUU’s MPA program was a perfect fit for Cody because it complemented his work schedule, and he found that his school projects lined up perfectly with his full-time work. From policy to budget, and everything in between, Cody discovered that he could immediately apply what he was learning to what he was experiencing, real-time, in his career.

And as a working professional, Cody found that his professors, who focused on students individually, routinely pushed him to excel while also being respectful of his professional commitments.

“I learned that I can do hard things,” says Cody of his educational experience.

He also found tremendous value in his study abroad program, a required component of the capstone project in SUU’s MPA program, and describes study abroad as something that he will remember for the rest of his life.

The trip included time in Prague, Budapest, and Austria where he met with government leaders to learn about each country’s transportation system and how community design impacts the health and mindset of residents. 

“They prioritize biking and walking,” he says, and found that “education is a top priority for people over there.”

The study abroad experience broadened his understanding of who we really are as people and how we all live differently. Plus, he was able to focus on his own career path and his desire to be an influence for good by making decisions that will improve his community.

“I want people to be happy and I want them to be outside,” he says. “I also want them to interact, and my career does that.”

A native of Shelley, Idaho, Cody loves his job at St. George’s recreation department, and enjoys being outside. He particularly loves mountain biking and is the head mountain bike coach at Pine View High School in Washington, Utah. He actively participates in his church congregation working with scouting and young men, and supports the arts and veterans, having placed more than 1,000 wreaths on veterans’ graves.

He and his wife Chandra are the proud parents of six children.