It's a 'we' thing: educator, motivator inspires others to succeed
Ina Wintrich says she never expected to be at Arizona State University – but now after a 23-year career, she is retiring from Bob Ramsey Executive Education. With a long track record of bringing people together to help them find ways to be more successful in their own careers and lives, Wintrich leaves a legacy as an inspiration to those who serve our communities.
Wintrich has served as assistant director of Bob Ramsey Executive Education, part of the School of Public Affairs in the College of Public Programs. She is credited with establishing many of the center’s strong relationships in the community, including programs with fire service, police command personnel, municipal clerks and tribal governments, among others.
“I’ve been amazed at Ina’s resilience. She has a genuine appreciation for public servants and a tireless passion for helping them identify the challenges and opportunities in their professional and personal lives. I am grateful for her commitment to Bob Ramsey Executive Education’s mission,” says Hector Zelaya, director of Bob Ramsey Executive Education.
Meeting Wintrich, her commitment to people and education is evident.
Through the executive education programs, she helps people identify and maximize their own strengths, but equally important, find ways to make connections and see how they can advance each other’s causes.
“We have a shared fate,” she says. “No matter how different the discipline, there is a connection.”
Wintrich says she believes that part of the future of our country lies in both academic education and professional development.
“They are key components in helping to ensure survival, sustainability and success. It’s not just academic advancement, but making the critical connection between research and practice – the effective application of usable knowledge and learning – that makes the difference,” she says.
Wintrich, an ASU alumna, has an interest in gerontology and holds a certificate in the field in addition to a bachelor of science in sociology and master of public administration degree. She looks at generations in the workplace and how to knock down barriers to create more effective working relationships.
“We need to employ critical thinking, take a step back and be sure that the assumptions we make are correct,” she says.
She encourages people to look at shared experiences—and often finds surprising connections.
As principal investigator for the leadership development program of the Arizona Regional Community Policing Institute, she notes that participants across generations found common ground when asked about their connection to war. Older participants cited memories of World War II or the Vietnam War, but younger participants had an equal connection through 9/11.
Wintrich has also forged strong relationships with colleagues.
Sally Manatt took over as program coordinator for the Certified Public Manager program from Wintrich in 1994. She says that Wintrich served as a mentor to her and “was always there to help.”
“For Ina, it’s a ‘we’ thing,” Manatt says. “She has been a mainstay of this unit, serving in multiple positions including twice as interim director. She has developed curriculum and led classes.”
Manatt says that many people associate Wintrich with the program and her commitment to community extends to board service and volunteer work.
With activities and accomplishments too numerous to note, Wintrich leaves this position having touched many lives. And it hasn’t all been about work. She is married with one daughter, one son and two granddaughters and two grandsons. She is also an integral part of the ASU community.
She says that one of the main reasons she has enjoyed her work at ASU is because “it relates to the opportunity to help great people who serve others.”
“My ancestors came to this country to seek survival and a better life. The journey wasn’t easy at times; it was a challenge for them. But they persevered and moved forward because they had hope. They also had a strong commitment and dedication to the United States of America, the place that they believed—and taught their children to believe—was not only a land of opportunity but the greatest country on the face of the Earth. The work goes on…”