From Posvar to shaping policy: how one MPIA/MBA grad built his career one class and one connection at a time

By the time Harry Harkins walked across the stage at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall to receive his degree from the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) on May 1, he had already been on the job for three weeks.

Harkins (MPIA/MBA ’25) finished his coursework in December but spent most of the winter and spring months in a routine that had become familiar: a morning workout at the Pitt rec center followed by the afternoon at the Hillman Library. Only this time, Harry wasn’t studying for class or working on projects; he was searching for positions in his field. In April, the work paid off, and when he reported for his first day as a senior policy analyst on the Government Relations and Market Development team at Aquatech, a Pittsburgh-based global leader in water and process technology, it was a role he had been building toward for the better part of a decade.

We asked Harkins to talk about how his time in Pitt’s joint Master of Public and International Affairs/Master of Business Administration program shaped his path, what it took to land the job, and what he would tell current students who hope to follow a similar path.

Q: Tell me a bit about your path to SPIA. What drew you to the dual MPIA/MBA degree?

A: I got my bachelor’s degree in international relations with a concentration in business at the Honors College at SUNY Geneseo. My advisor there told me early on that if I wanted to really succeed in international business, I would need graduate school, a fellowship, or ideally both. 

After graduating in 2021, I worked briefly at PNC Bank and spent a year in Germany as one of 75 Junior Ambassadors of the U.S. on the Department of State’s Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals. It was a genuinely fulfilling experience, but I came home knowing I still needed more. 

When I found the MPIA/MBA program at Pitt, everything clicked. My goal has always been to work in business, but I’ve also had a deep academic interest in public and international affairs. With an undergraduate background that was more qualitative and humanities-focused, I knew I needed stronger analytical and business foundations—this joint degree let me pursue both. I was impressed by SPIA’s high national rankings and was glad to see I could earn both degrees in three years instead of four, two fewer semesters of tuition than if I had taken them separately.

Q: Were there specific courses or experiences that most directly shaped your interests and career trajectory?

A: It all factored in, so it’s hard to pick just a few. My goal at SPIA was to challenge myself and expand my horizons as much as possible. 

I interned with AHP International in Berlin as a Consultant for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Trade in the summer of 2024, thanks in part to support from the NRIEP German Committee Graduate Scholarship. I chose this role to gain more international experience and to sharpen my German language skills, as this internship’s working language was mostly German. The following summer, I interned with Highmark Health in their Integrated Finance and Market Analytics team to strengthen my quantitative skills. I also participated in the Katz School’s Global Research Practicum in Scotland, where we looked at how local leaders can foster international collaboration around the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. 

In the classroom, I’m glad I elected to take Quantitative Methods II at SPIA. It was one of the harder things I did in the program, but I came out with a much stronger grasp of statistics that I’ll carry with me into my future work. I also sent a policy memo I wrote for Dr. Condra’s International Affairs course as my writing sample during the application process with Aquatech, so that course had a more direct impact than I realized at the time.

Q: Can you tell us about the work Aquatech does and your role within the company?

A: Aquatech was established in 1981 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, but today has offices around the country. At Aquatech, we tackle the challenges of water scarcity and complexity by leveraging technology, expertise, and financing to deliver comprehensive solutions that reduce carbon and recycled water footprint. We are a leading global provider of water and process technology solutions that help the world’s most recognized companies achieve their sustainability and operational goals by implementing innovative approaches for water reuse, desalination, minimal and zero liquid discharge, and critical minerals recovery. Our work catalyzes the transition toward a more sustainable future and showcases our commitment to addressing water’s role in climate adaptation. 

My role as senior policy analyst is to help develop and execute Aquatech’s government relations strategy at the federal, state, and local levels, advising senior leadership and helping shape the public policy environment that affects the company’s business. This role requires a highly effective communicator and relationship builder with a sophisticated understanding of the political and regulatory landscape. Aquatech has successfully executed more than 2,000 site solutions in over 60 countries around the globe and has offices in India, Europe, the Middle East and China, so every day I’m drawing on both the international affairs and business sides of what I studied.

Q: How did this job opportunity come about— and what did that process teach you?

A: In September 2022, before I even enrolled at SPIA, I commented on a LinkedIn post by the then-president of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance. He invited me to a networking event being held near where I was living in Germany at the time, where I met lobbyist Joe Murzyn of One+ Strategies. 

I reconnected with Joe in November 2025, a month before finishing at Pitt. He introduced me to Phil Koch at the Pittsburgh Foundation and Mike DeVanney at ColdSpark, who together introduced me to lobbyist Marios Kritiotis of SALVO Strategies. It was Marios who recommended I reach out to Gabe Pellathy, VP of Government Affairs at Aquatech. After messaging Gabe on LinkedIn, he invited me to an informational call, asked for a writing sample, and brought me in for an in-person interview in February. My first day was April 13. 

That’s five degrees of separation from a LinkedIn comment I left in 2022, but the path didn’t feel as straightforward while I was in it as it does looking back. I spent 18 months searching for a full-time position before landing this role, and I’d tell students to stay diligent and not to panic when things slow down. A lot of hiring essentially freezes after Thanksgiving, even in a strong economy, and when my search stalled at the end of the year, I thought it was me. It wasn’t. You can’t manufacture the kind of chain that led me to Aquatech; you can only stay consistent, follow up, and be ready when the moment arrives.

Q: What advice would you give to current SPIA students who want to end up in a policy role like yours?

A: Two things, and they pull in opposite directions. In the classroom, prioritize analytical skills. Push yourself into the courses that feel harder and more technical because the more you challenge yourself academically, the more versatile you’ll be as an employee — and the easier the job will feel. 

Outside of the classroom, I would focus on the opposite: soft skills like networking, building an elevator pitch to describe your background and career goals, and always following up with new connections— not just for semesters, but sometimes for years. The chain of introductions that led me to Aquatech started in 2022. None of it would have mattered if I hadn’t stayed in touch. 

Finally, I would tell SPIA students to pay attention to emerging sectors. Aquatech has grown significantly because of its work in critical minerals recovery, an area that barely registered as a career path a few years ago. The students who will be most competitive are the ones who notice where the world is heading and position themselves accordingly.

Interested in following a path like Harry’s? Learn more about the MPIA/MBA dual degree program offered by SPIA and the Katz School of Business and how it prepares graduates to work at the intersection of business, policy, and global affairs.