Tarentum manager among only 11 in country chosen for Stanford fellowship

Tarentum Manager Dwight Boddorf wants to marry his military and municipal backgrounds to help veterans gain hands-on experience in local government.

Boddorf is among 11 people nationwide chosen for a fellowship at Stanford University, where he will learn to create pathways for veterans to earn what is essentially a high-level municipal internship.

“This is an incredible opportunity to bring visibility and new ideas back home, and I’m proud that Tarentum will be part of that story,” Boddorf said.

The university’s Hoover Institution is run by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The Veteran Fellowship Program gives fellowship recipients access to Stanford’s resources, research and mentorship to help design and implement initiatives. It requires Boddorf to travel to Stanford, as well as to Washington, D.C., a handful of times throughout the year.

Boddorf will remain the borough’s full-time manager during the program.

His project will focus on the growing rate of turnover in municipal executive positions and the result of insufficient numbers of qualified people able to fill those positions.

“I plan to help address that challenge by connecting veterans and the 200,000 service members who leave the military each year with opportunities in local government,” Boddorf said.

A Marine Corps veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Boddorf is a Purple Heart recipient.

He joined the military at 18 and survived an IED blast that killed two of his fellow marines.

Boddorf’s project will be piloted in Tarentum. It will include local governments and help to highlight the entire Alle-Kiski Valley on a national stage, Council President Scott Dadowski said.

“It is one of the most prestigious programs in the country for veterans shaping public policy,” Dadowski said.