An Alumna Fosters Civic Engagement: Helping a Hutchison Student Gain Real-World Experience

Can an internship spark a young person’s interests enough to launch a meaningful career? The answer is “yes.” And Dabney Roberts Ring ’90, who has spent more than 25 years in public service, is Exhibit A.

Ring went from writing for the school newspaper and an early interest in politics to shaping the narrative around Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s local, state, and federal policy agendas. Part of the mayor’s intergovernmental team, Ring serves as the Senior Policy Officer and the Federal Relations Lead.

Her first foray into politics was a 1992 legislative internship in Nashville during her junior year at the University of Memphis. That’s where she met then-State Senator Steve Cohen, the U.S. Congressman for whom she would work full time during the next 20 years in campaign finance administration. She eventually became Congressman Cohen’s campaign finance director.

Ring caught the politics bug during that internship and has never looked back. When she took Hutchison senior Katie Frazer ’23 under her wing for an internship this past summer, she saw an opportunity to help inspire another young woman’s interest in how government serves the greater good.

“Once you get involved in politics, it’s easier to see the benefit of politics and the benefit of government. I think exposing someone early on to politics and the way that government can work helps combat some of the misconceptions that exist about government,” said Ring. “Katie will be able to say, ‘I was in city hall, and they talked about addressing issues such as trash pickup all the time!’ ” laughed Ring.

“I like the many ways you can solve problems by making different policies that benefit a lot of people at once,” said Frazer, who is contemplating studying international business and public policy.

In her current role as senior policy officer, Ring advances Mayor Strickland’s agendas at the state and federal levels. “I go to Nashville from January until the last day of the legislative session, and I work with our legislators, ensuring that the mayor’s agenda is being worked on and that we are receiving the necessary funding,” said Ring. “As the federal lead for intergovernmental, I work with our federal lobbyists on new opportunities for funding, legislation, and relationships with our congressional delegation. I am also monitoring grant releases from the federal government, sending notifications to our city divisions, and following up to make sure we are applying for all available grants.”

Although she is entrenched in policy on a daily basis, when Ring learned Frazer had covered policy issues earlier in the summer as a participant in the Trent Lott Leadership Institute at the University of Mississippi, she decided to build the internship around civic engagement. 

“It’s amazing to watch at a fundamental level how everyday citizens come together to make government better. That was one of the things I really wanted Katie to see. Talk about getting involved in the process!” said Ring. Frazer worked with staff reviewing membership for the 45 citizen boards and commissions that the mayor appoints, subject to Council approval, to review citywide issues related to everything from stormwater to historical landmarks.

“Periodically, new members are named to these boards, and current members either resign or their term expires. We were collaborating, trying to figure out which boards needed a change in membership,” said Frazer. “It takes skill to effectively set up a board that will benefit the best interests of the people of the city. It’s not just whoever is the mayor’s best friend.”

“I thought it was important for Katie to see the range of people who are involved in government,” said Ring, explaining that the boards are citizen-based and make recommendations. Some require subject matter experts, such as engineers or architects.

Paying It Forward









The right mentor can make a big difference to an upper school girl exploring career options and ways to contribute to her community. You can choose the time commitment that fits your schedule. Click here to complete an interest form.