Candidate information for the slate of individuals running for ASPA National Council positions appears below.
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Vice President Candidates
District I Candidates
District II Candidates
District III Candidates
District IV Candidate
District V Candidate
Student Representative Candidates
Biography
Richard Keevey held positions in the federal and state governments; in the private sector; and in academia. Presently, he is a senior fellow at the School of Planning and Policy, Rutgers University and a lecturer at the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University. Keevey’s government experience includes: (1) appointment by two governor(s) – both political parties -- as Budget Director and Comptroller; (2) appointments by the President as the CFO for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and as the Deputy under Secretary of Defense; (3) appointment by the Secretary of Defense as the Director of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). Keevey was the director of the Policy Research Institute for the region at Princeton University. He also held senior positions at Arthur Andersen and Unisys Corporation. He served as a nuclear artillery officer in Germany.
Keevey is the author of 23 published articles on finance and management issues; has made presentations and chaired more than 75 policy forums and colloquiums, including international venues—and is the author of 55 published opinion pieces. He was and is active in his community, including being president of his local school board, a Board Member of the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness and a member of his local Planning Board. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). He was awarded a “Life Time Achievement Award for Budgeting and Financial Management” from the National Association of Budgeting and Finance; and was awarded the defense medal for Distinguished Service and the defense medal for Outstanding Service from the Secretary of Defense. Keevey has BA in political science from La Salle College and an MPA from the Fels Center of the Wharton Graduate School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Candidate Statement
I seek your vote to be the Vice President. I bring experience from many disciplines, but most importantly a desire to serve fellow colleagues. We are the premier organization providing scholarship, research and professionalism to public management—and I will honor that tradition with good will and a force for improving the organization. I have served at all levels of government; in academia as the director of a policy institute; and in the private sector. I now teach at two leading universities and write frequently for newspapers and professional publications. This past Spring I was a presenter at ASPA's Annual Conference in Atlanta and I have done many of these types of presentations throughout my career. These experiences will enable me to be an active and experienced member of your board.
I have been a member of ASPA since my early days in government. I had the good fortune to rise to cabinet positions—appointed by both republican and democratic governors. During my time in New Jersey I was recognized as the “Public Administrator of the Year” from the local ASPA chapter and I served on the Board of Editors of
PAR. When I moved to the federal government I continued my connections with ASPA and interacted frequently with other members in the D.C. area. I have no specific agenda—I find such declarations generally without merit until one becomes more deeply involved with the overall administration of an organization. But, I do pledge my faithfulness, integrity and desire to move the organization forward with its primary goal of advancing the science, art and practice of public administration. Public administration has consumed the greater part of my life and I believe I can reflect on these experiences to improve further your organization.
Biography
My commitment to ASPA, its mission and its future is strong. A life member, I recently secured a grant to ASPA from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation to study evidence-based approaches to managing credit programs, a project that raised our visibility among senior level federal officials. A member of the
PAR Editorial Board, I am academic chair for the International Conference on Public Administration (ICPA) and chaired the Priority Issues Task Force under Paul Posner’s presidency.
My career spans both the practitioner and academic communities. As a member of the federal Senior Executive Service, I helped many agencies—the Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Small Business Administration, GAO and CBO, to name just a few—improve their delivery of public services. My work with state and local government resulted in the National Association of Counties awarding me its Distinguished Service Award. Among my federal level accomplishments, I:
1. Helped enact legislation creating a new federal financial regulator
2. Assisted the Small Business Administration in creating an Office of Lender Oversight
3. Assisted OMB in setting a multiyear agenda to improve management of federal credit programs
4. Helped to create a community of practice for more effective enterprise risk management. I recently served as president of the Association for Federal Enterprise Risk Management.
A faculty member at Johns Hopkins University, I have authored books on pressing public administration issues, including
State of Risk: Will Government Sponsored Enterprises Be the Next Financial Crisis? and
Why Some Firms Thrive While Others Fail:
Governance and Management Lessons from the Crisis, just published in China. As fellow, former board member and former standing panel chair of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) I edited its volume,
Meeting the Challenge of 9/11: Blueprints for More Effective Government.
Candidate Statement
In many ways, today’s public administration challenges are unprecedented in ASPA’s long distinguished history. From climate change to cyber threats to pressures for retrenchment of public services, problems are more complex than ever, requiring cooperation and collaboration among federal, state and local governments, plus nonprofit and for-profit organizations. To support and defend the public sector in these exceptional times, ASPA must build and harness our practitioner and academic membership base and help each group benefit from the strengths of the other. Only through this combined effort can we help the public sector maintain its professionalism, defend those who work on our behalf every day and do our part to strengthen our field, nation and world.
With one foot in the practitioner world and the other in the academic world, my track record is one of strengthening and defending public policies and programs. Working with public agencies and organizations like the U.S. Conference of Mayors and National Association of Counties, I gained a broad perspective about ways ASPA can support and build bridges across governments at every level, and with nonprofits and private firms. Please visit my website,
www.thomas-stanton.com, for details of my experience and view my recent Johns Hopkins TEDx Talk on risk management, one of our critical public management priorities (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voGyHN-tWMg). Recently serving as president of the Association for Federal Enterprise Risk Management, I have a collaborative style, relying on network management, cooperation and mutual support, combined with analytical skills needed to navigate complex issues and get the job done. I respectfully ask for your vote for Vice President and for your feedback on how—together—we can make ASPA an even stronger source of support for public services, the dedicated individuals who provide them, and the scholars and students who help show us the way.
Biography
Kendra Stewart is a professor of political science and public administration and director of the Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Center for Livable Communities at the College of Charleston. She has spent her career working both in government and academia and in her current position has the opportunity to do both, in addition to assisting nonprofits. Her research interests include nonprofit management, homeland security, state and local government and food policy. Stewart was able to use her professional training, along with her academic and applied research, to co-edit an ASPA series book,
The Practice of Government Public Relations. Prior to her current position at the College of Charleston, where she has also served as MPA program director, Stewart was a faculty member and MPA director at Eastern Kentucky University and worked for the State of South Carolina Budget and Control Board.
In addition to her service in state government, Stewart has worked with the South Carolina and Kentucky City/County Management Associations. She serves on a variety of nonprofit boards in her community and has recently been elected into the National Academy of Public Administration. One of her most significant career opportunities was serving on a USAID project in Lahore, Pakistan, assisting a prestigious university develop academic and professional training programs to professionalize public administration in their country. Stewart regularly conducts political analysis for a variety of print, radio and television media, including
Good Morning America, NPR, BBC, Fox News Channel, the Associated Press and
The New Yorker. She holds two bachelors degrees from the University of Central Florida and an MPA and Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. Stewart resides in Charleston, S.C. with her husband and their five children.
Candidate Statement
The future of ASPA is very personal to me because it is an organization that has been instrumental in my professional development. First as a graduate student, then as a state employee and eventually as an academic, ASPA has provided me with some of my most significant mentors, professional development opportunities and leadership experiences. For these reasons I am committed to ensuring ASPA continues to be a place where academics, practitioners and students can all come together to learn and honor public service.
I have been an active member of ASPA for more than 20 years and have served in a variety leadership positions at the local, regional and national levels, including:
- Member of National Council for four years
- Co-chair of 75th Anniversary Annual Conference
- Chair and board member of the Southeastern Conference for Public Administration
- PAR editor-in-chief Search Committee
- Board member of two different local ASPA Chapters
- Newsletter editor for the Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management
- Founding member of LGBTQ and Emergency and Crisis Management sections
- Recipient of the Donald C. Stone Service to ASPA Award
These experiences have prepared me to work with the many different constituencies of ASPA and develop an understanding of the needs and the potential of our organization. If elected Vice President, I am committed to three overarching goals for the organization that will help to ensure its long-term success:
- Expand opportunities for students and new practitioners to learn, grow professionally and make connections;
- Work to further our international efforts, ensuring ASPA is connected to public service around the world; and
- Continue to provide a forum where practitioners and academics can learn from each other and work together on improving and promoting public service.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I would greatly appreciate your support and your vote for ASPA Vice President.
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Biography
Maria J. D’Agostino is currently chair and associate professor in the Department of Public Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. She has been an active member of the American Society of Public Administration since 2004, when she was a doctoral student, and is a former Section on Women in Public Administration board member, and NY Metro ASPA Chapter President, 2005-2006. She also served as a NECoPA Trustee.
D’Agostino has published widely in the areas of citizen engagement and public service. Her recent research has focused on women in public service including two co-edited books,
Governing in A Global World (Forthcoming 2017) and
Women and Public Administration: Theory and Practice. She recently collaborated as a guest editor for the Women and Public Administration symposium published in
Administration and Society, and published
A Narrative Approach to Understanding the Difference Women Make. She is a recipient of the Section for Women in Public Administration's Rita Mae Kelly Distinguished Research Award. She is also the co-founder of Women in the Public Sector at John Jay College and recipient of the Faculty Mid-Career Research Award. Dr. D’Agostino received her Ph.D. from Rutgers University—Newark and her Master’s from Padova University Italy.
Candidate Statement
As a representative of District 1, I will:
- Encourage ASPA's national office its Section leadership to
continue to strengthen the linkage between practitioners and the
academics and encourage more activities that incentivize practitioners
and researchers to work more closely together to advance the field of
public administration and solve important policy problems and managerial
challenges;
- Visit local Chapters in District I over the coming three years to understand their concerns and needs and explore possibilities of collaboration to advance the interests of ASPA and its local chapters.
- Work closely with local ASPA Chapters in District I and ASPA's national office to explore ways researchers and practitioners working in the federal, state and local governments and in nonprofit organizations can address different field of public administration.
Biography
Dennis Martino is the former director of the NH Bureau of Education and Training. He has taught leadership courses at the graduate level at several colleges. He is currently an acting dean for the Boston Campus of Springfield College. Prior to his current academic work, he had 21 years of experience in labor relations as a union advocate and contract negotiator in the public sector. Martino has acted as a workplace mediator with both small and large agencies. He lives in Hopkinton, NH with his wife, Tracy.
Candidate Statement
As a lifelong advocate for professionalism in government I believe we all must serve in some capacity that elevates the profession. The American Society for Public Administration provides both a platform and a vehicle to work toward this end.
I am a candidate for the National Council because everyone who can devote the time to this good work should step up and give support to this organization and it values. I have both the time and the disposition to work hard for our mutual growth and wellbeing.
Some of the issues that are of most importance to me are:
- Organizational Growth
- Chapter and Section Support
- Regional Professional Development Programs
If I am elected I would focus on trying to move these issues forward.
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Biography
Jasper Cox's career started in New York City and spans more than 30 years working in the areas of finance and administration for nonprofit organizations. He started out as an accountant with Coordination in Development (CODEL), an NGO with a focus on relief and development work in Latin America and Africa. For the next 30 years, Cox continued to develop his financial and administrative skills, working in finance and administration for several nonprofit organizations including CARE, World Vision, Partners for Development, Strathmore Hall Foundation and Mental Health Association of Maryland.
Cox is a seasoned financial professional with comprehensive knowledge of nonprofit accounting standards and issues, as well as a good understanding of nonprofit tax issues and grant management. He has strong skills in drafting and implementing financial policies and procedures to strengthen internal control. Cox is a visionary leader with notable accomplishments to his credit. His personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and passion for improving the lives of disadvantaged individuals have earned him significant recognition in the nonprofit sector.
Cox holds an undergraduate degree in finance and Investments from Bernard M. Baruch College, a unit of the City University of New York, and a graduate degree in public administration from Long Island University. He is also a graduate of Leadership Maryland class of 2006 and Executive Preparation Institute class of 2017. He currently serves on the boards of Venterprises, Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington and the Empowerment Association. He is married to Gail Cox and they have three adult children, Steven, Jalisa and Jeremy.
Candidate Statement
I feel honored to be nominated to serve as District Representative for Region II on the ASPA Board of Directors. My interest in serving on ASPA’s board stems from my life work and passion for making a difference in people’s lives. I strongly believe in ASPA's mission and would like to join forces with the other board members to help move the organization to the next level. We are living in uncertain times. The issues that public administrators face today are complex and multi-dimensional. We need strong leaders with vision and courage to tackle the issues of today. We have to plan strategically, be able to see ahead of the curve and position ASPA to be the go-to association on public sector and public administration issues.
From my experience serving on nonprofit boards, I have gained insight and a deep understanding of the many challenges and opportunities that nonprofits grapple with on an ongoing basis. Moreover, I believe that in order for an organization like ASPA to remain relevant and vital, it must be engaged on the issues of public policy; we need to have representation at the table where public policy issues are discussed, so that our position on these issues are heard and understood. If elected to ASPA board, I promise to bring a deep commitment to contributing to the work of ASPA as it moves forward to build a vibrant and effective voice for the field of Public Administration.
Biography
A lifelong public servant, Diane Disney has worked at multiple levels for entities as diverse as the U.S. Department of Defense, the Urban Institute’s Nonprofit Sector Project and Penn State. She has successfully managed a 12-campus college, advised a governor on human resource and economic development issues, crafted legislative language to help Defense workers affected by budget cuts and developed housing for low-income, single-parent families. Her ability to generate collaboration across economic sectors and levels of government is exemplary. Disney has been a tenured management professor at Pennsylvania State University (where she has also been dean and chancellor) and the University of Rhode Island (where she headed the Research Center in Business and Economics), as well as a management consultant to numerous state and federal departments. Internationally she has worked with governments of Slovenia, Croatia, Chile and others to design executive development programs for civil servants to promote civilian control of the military.
Being a board or committee member for more than 40 nonprofits has made her aware of the importance of strengthening Chapters and Sections to foster sound working relationships and networks within ASPA. Her ASPA service has included membership on selection committees for the Founders’ Fellows and the Elmer B. Staats Lifetime Achievement Award. A member of the Central Pennsylvania chapter, she has been a conference session chair for NECoPA and most recently has served on the Governance Task Force, which has recommended updates to the organization’s bylaws. She has also accepted a three-year term on
PAR’s Board of Editors.
A longtime fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, she has served two terms on its board, most recently as chair. She has also received the George Graham Award for outstanding service to the Academy. Her education includes degrees from Duke (MAT), URI (MBA) and Brandeis (Ph.D).
Candidate Statement
My life has been dedicated to public service, as both a practitioner and an academic. It grieves me to see the disdain with which elected officials and the press seem to regard those who have committed themselves to making the world better through public-sector employment and analysis. Therefore, I want to join ASPA’s National Council to continue conveying the truth about public administration and the people who devote their professional lives to it. At the same time, ASPA offers a unique opportunity to help further the development of those very people and to help make “good enough for government work” convey the excellence it did a century ago. Indeed, developing the next generation of public leaders is an imperative for ASPA as a whole, given that students and new professionals constitute over a third of its total membership.
Bridging the gap between theory and practice, I have shared research through the mass media, worked as a federal and state executive and served on multiple commissions, such as the Federal Human Resources Technology Council, the Governor's Personnel System Review Committee and the Civil Justice Advisory Board for the U.S. District Court. Internationally, I headed negotiations for labor agreements with Portugal, South Korea and Germany, as well as serving on several bilateral defense commissions. Such experiences could help the National Council develop and strengthen strong, strategic non-US partnerships.
Of particular relevance to the District II position is my time on a range of boards, including those for the Federation of State Humanities Councils, the Naval War College Foundation and SER=Jobs for Progress. In short, I have years of experience in helping boards work well.
With its mix of governmental, nonprofit, and academic institutions, District II needs representatives with experience in all three worlds. My background meets that need.
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Biography
Tom is currently the MPA Director at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. He came to Charlotte last fall after serving at UNC Wilmington for nearly 20 years, where he founded the MPA program and also served as a chair of the Department of Public Science and two years as the interim vice chancellor for public service and continuing studies.
Barth considers himself a “pracademic,” as his professional career began as a Presidential Management Intern, working as an analyst at NASA, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency during the Reagan Administration. While working in management development at the EPA, he became interested in teaching and research, and decided to pursue a Ph.D. at the Center for Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Tech while he continued to work in the federal government. Upon earning his Ph.D., he took his first faculty position at the University of Memphis.
Barth has always found himself most at home in regional universities where MPA faculty have the freedom to devote time to teaching, research and community engagement; each activity informs the others. His areas of focus include organization theory, human resource management, strategic planning, leadership and ethics. Current projects include the facilitation of community-police conversations in Wilmington, NC, survey research on the integration of core values in local government and interviews on the personal leadership skills and qualities necessary to be an effective community bridgebuilder.
Candidate Statement
I am delighted and honored to present my candidacy for ASPA National Council, representing District III! My qualifications are based on two sets of experiences: First, my work with the Southeastern Conference for Public Administration (SECoPA) and two ASPA Chapters; and second, my professional work in both the academic and practitioner worlds.
I believe strongly in the importance of professional development and networking; there is no substitution for coming together, sharing ideas and building relationships to the identity and development of a profession. Nowhere is this more evident than ASPA, the one professional organization where academics, practitioners and students from all specializations come together under one umbrella. I would bring a “ground up” perspective to ASPA, as my experience has been as a leader in the development of two ASPA Chapters and recently as Board President for SECoPA, one of the leading regional conferences within public administration. I understand the joys and challenges of leading such organizations and would bring this perspective to National Council.
Secondly, I don’t just talk about the importance of academic-practitioner collaboration. I have and continue to live in both of these worlds. I have 10 years of experience in the federal government in three different agencies and as a Presidential Management intern; 26 years of experience in MPA programs at three universities, and extensive experience as a consultant in scores of government and nonprofit organizations in the areas of community facilitation and strategic planning.
I would bring to National Council a set of fundamental questions that are not by any means new but continue to be fundamental: What is our vision of success? How are we relevant to academics, practitioners and students (our future)? How do we build bridges and relationships in an age of polarization and fragmentation?
I would welcome the opportunity to serve you!
Biography
Louie Moore is the business and administration manager at the City of Charlotte, N.C.’s Solid Waste Services Department, managing $60 million in operating and capital resources in support of weekly service provision to more than 800,000 residents. He is serving his second term as President of the Central Piedmont Chapter of ASPA and previously served as Secretary/Treasurer and a Board Member. He graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Master of Public Administration (UNCC MPA) program and received the Susan M. Burgess MPA Scholarship for outstanding academic performance and pursuit of knowledge in becoming a community leader. He serves on the UNCC MPA Advisory Board and is a member of the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association (NCLGBA). Louie also holds an American Chemical Society certified Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Furman University and previously worked in an environmental regulatory capacity with Charlotte Water.
Candidate Statement
I have nearly 19 years of local government experience and success in various roles of municipal government. My aptitude and interest in chemistry and math began my career in water utility environmental compliance protecting public health. It is in that role that I fostered the values of service delivery, resource and performance management and citizen satisfaction. A mid-career shift evolved into administrative and budgetary management that I sought to supplement with my MPA degree. My professional focus remains resource stewardship, environmental service delivery, program evaluation and administrative management through data driven decisionmaking. I have dedicated my career to applying these focus areas to citizen facing, local government service operations. I plan to share my experiences and, more importantly, learn from others throughout the country if I am chosen as the District III representative to the ASPA National Council.
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Biography
Stephen Kleinschmit, Ph.D., is the director of program development and engagement and clinical assistant professor in the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Department of Public Administration. In May 2018, he will become the director of its Master of Public Administration program. Prior to joining UIC, he was an assistant professor at Western Michigan University’s School of Public Affairs and Administration and served on the faculties of Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne and Eastern Kentucky University. He holds a Ph.D. in public administration from North Carolina State University, as well as an MS in technology systems and a dual BS in urban planning and geography from East Carolina University. His practitioner experience includes employment as an urban planner, GIS analyst and development planning consultant. He is also a former Army reservist, having spent six years as field artillery crewmember.
Kleinschmit is best known to ASPA members as the founder and president of the Midwest Public Affairs Conference (MPAC), ASPA's midwest regional conference affiliate. Established in 2013, MPAC has held annual events in Fort Wayne, Milwaukee, Columbus and Omaha, with its upcoming meeting hosted at the University of Illinois at Chicago in June 2018. He serves on the ASPA Publications Committee, is a member of the editorial review board of
Public Integrity and is a co-founder of the
Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs. He is a member of the ASPA Greater Chicago Chapter, has served both on the boards of ASPA’s Indiana and Michigan Capital Area chapters, and is a member of the Sections on Public Administration Education and Science and Technology in Government.
Candidate Statement
As ASPA’s District IV Representative, I seek to introduce a host of proposals that I feel would help grow the organization’s membership and national prominence. This includes utilizing new communications technologies that can expand the organization’s reach and using new measures that will engage members by bringing recognition in national publications. This includes strategies such as the creation of media guides to be distributed to news organizations. I seek to encourage more Chapter and Section participation within ASPA’s regional events and advocate for the establishment of an ASPA Section for military and veteran affairs.
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Biography
I have lived a blessed life because of my family and living in the United States. I am originally from Morocco, where many did not highly value an education for girls but my father was a wise man ahead of this time. I was given an excellent undergraduate education in Morocco and for more than a decade, I held jobs in a variety of top level positions including division chief at the Directorate of Executive Training. I also had the great fortune to work on development projects with USAID, including capacity building for Moroccan institutions. Through this association, I had the chance to attend the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) for my Masters of Public Administration and thus my second career as student and a scholar was launched in the United States.
Because of GSPIA, I started my academic career in public administration and got my Ph.D. from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. I am now an associate professor and associate chair of public affairs at the University of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley, where I am in charge of its online MPA program. Given my international background and involvement in international public administration conferences, my primary research interest is building better relationships in public administration, especially focusing on cultural competency.
My professional involvement in ASPA has been a remarkable experience and blessing for me. I started by joining ASPA at GSPIA when I was a MPA student. Since then, I have joined and served on the boards of different Sections and served as President of COMPA, and am currently the chair of SPOD. I have been active internationally as well, with the honor of being a rapporteur for the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (the international equivalent of ASPA).
Candidate Statement
Vision for District V: Bringing together academics and practitioners
Like myself, ASPA’s District V is far flung, including Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, California and Hawaii. I suspect my research and training in cultural competency could be useful. I feel more positive topics such as cultural exchanges, shared bonds of family and heritage, as well as shared public and civic activities are also relevant to public administration and the public good we try out best to serve.
I like to think of myself as a bridge, not of the physical kind, but one that builds intellectual works through the heart. Living in Texas, I know that type of bridge building is needed and I am proud to say ASPA has been in the forefront, building intellectual bridges with our national and international partners and within our professional community.
Given our rich heritage of cultural diversity, a group of us already initiate the work of creating a South West Conference on Public Administration, like other regional conferences. This regional conference could do much to build a good working relationship between academia and practitioners to motivate recent alumni, as well as current students, to remain involved in their local ASPA Chapters, even though they may not be able to go to ASPA's Annual Conference. The objective is to reinvigorate dormant Chapters and create a synergy between them and the well-established chapters, especially given our goal of establishing a regional conference.
As an agent of change, I am asking for your vote to allow me to help create a more optimistic future for our profession. Public administration is an honorable profession and I am proud to be a part of its noble calling. I would be honored to be your representative on your National Council, helping to build bridges to a better profession and a better America.
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Biography
My name is Christopher Pierce and I’m running for the position of ASPA Student Representative. I was born and raised in Santa Monica, Calif., and supported by my wonderful family of five (mom, dad, brother, dog). I’m a third generation Japanese American and a first generation college graduate. I received my Bachelors of Arts from the University of California—Santa Barbara (UCSB). During my time at UCSB, I was a member of Phi Alpha Theta (a history honor society) and also was president of an off-campus student organization in my senior year. I’m currently enrolled in my final year of my Masters in Public Administration, also receiving a certificate in health care administration at Roger Williams University.
Outside the classroom setting, I’m also a board member for ASPA’s Rhode Island chapter (RIASPA), led by former ASPA National Councilman and current president of RIASPA Michael Hall. I’ve also been utilizing my skills and knowledge in several government internships during my time in the MPA program, such as the Rhode Island Department of Education and just recently the newly formed Rhode Island Office of Innovation. I’ve been involved in the Boy Scouts of America since the age of five until I was 18 years old, where I achieved the highest rank of Eagle Scout in December 2009. In my spare time I love to go on day trips, take photos, play soccer, watch documentaries on Netflix and cook.
Candidate Statement
I humbly accept and am thankful for this great opportunity to be on this year’s ballot. I feel that I’m the most qualified candidate for ASPA Student Representative due to my deep history in public service, background in diversity and not being afraid to take on leadership roles. From the age of 12 I started to develop a strong love for serving others. From 2004-2009, I served in numerous positions volunteering for a three week summer camp created by a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that works with children with special needs. I also managed to accumulate a total of 392 volunteer hours. Being further inspired by the wonderful work being done, I decided to do my Eagle Scout project for them by building 13 wood water cooler stations and leading/coordinating the camp move-in from their warehouse. If elected, I will make a concerted effort to make sure this mindset of public service is translated well into my work and actions as your ASPA Student Representative.
While keeping in mind of ASPA’s mission, “Advancing excellence in public service,” it’s crucial that we continue to work as one unit and always use best practices. A great partnership I feel can accomplish this goal is collaboration and diversity. Being born and raised in a diverse environment in the greater Los Angeles area has shaped me to love, befriend and also be a great listener to voices that are sometimes suppressed and misunderstood. This continues to serve true for me, as I’ve helped organize and lead two ethnically diverse student panels for ASPA’s Rhode Island Chapter’s annual conference during Public Service Recognition Week (#PSRW). I promise, if elected, that I’ll hold myself to the highest standards and hope to be available online if any ASPA member wants to contact me.
Biography
Tyler Sova is a current graduate student at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. He holds an undergraduate degree in finance from Duquesne University located in Pittsburgh, Penn. After a one-year stint west in Arizona, Sova worked in Wilmington, Del., with Tiedemann Trust Company, a private equity investment and wealth management firm, for more than two years. More recently he has held positions with the Committee of Seventy, a Philadelphia good government advocate and watchdog, as well as with the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, where he provided economic research. Sova is expected to graduate December 2017 with an MPA degree and will be looking to start a career in the public or nonprofit sector. He is currently the social media chair and on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Chapter of ASPA.
Candidate Statement
As a student and student member of ASPA, I have an invested interest in providing a voice and perspective for the student and new professional population. ASPA has incredibly talented, dedicated and experienced staff/volunteers who provide valuable contributions to ASPA and have created an excellent professional network. But, any professional organization needs young, talented members to continue the work of the organization. ASPA will need to continue to provide value for members and as a student representative I will make sure student members’ concerns, opinions and ideas are represented and heard.
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