February Message

Hello. I am Paul Danczyk, President of the American Society for Public Administration.

February is an exciting month for advancing excellence in public service! In addition to our member and chapter shout outs, I wanted to share a conference update and monthly programming opportunities.

But first, we have added the newest member to the national team—Karen Lam. Karen joins us as the events and professional development manager. Throughout her career, Karen’s roles within the nonprofit sector have had increased responsibilities in shaping a variety of member experiences. We look forward to working with her. And, Bill Shields, our executive director, doesn’t mess around. Karen’s first assignment is the annual conference. Be sure to say hello when you meet her in April.

Speaking of which, we are in full conference mode! As you know, the annual conference is on April third through seventh in Anaheim, California. This year’s theme is “2020 Vision for Politics, Policy, and Administration.” Help us spread the word to your colleagues and within your professional and academic networks. Feel free to forward this newsletter to them.

With over two months still available for registration, we have over eight hundred fifty paid attendees so far. And, more are coming in each day. That’s awesome!

The best way to get the most current conference information is reading “The Bridge”, ASPA’s e-Newsletter, the periodic conference update emails and/or checking our website at www.aspanet.org/annualconference.

We have many exciting highlights, including honoring exemplars such as Terryl Ross with the 2020 Gloria Hobson Nordin Social Equity Award, and Louise Comfort, 2020 Fred Riggs Award for Lifetime Achievement. Congratulations Terryl and Louise!

We will have 10 presidential panels, seven of which we have formally advertised online. These include rockstar exemplars who will highlight women trailblazers and tackle contemporary challenges like homelessness, civic engagement, empowerment, 2020 census and public service administration.

Our international plenary keynote is Jason DeParle, a senior writer for the New York Times. Mr. DeParle will discuss immigration in the US and global migration…not to mention the economic, political, and societal impacts of current trends.
 
Also check out the concurrent panels. These were posted online at the end of last month.
 
There will be many updates coming in the next couple weeks—Social Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Workshop; Student Summit; family-friendly activities; and more!

For this month’s national programming, on February 12 Frannie Edwards, San Jose State University; Naim Kapucu, University of Central Florida; Lori Peek, University of Colorado Boulder; Cristina Remington, University of South Florida; and Ana-Maria Dimand, Florida Internatioanl University present "Challenges Facing Emergency Management". This is part of the Student and New Professional Webinar Series and sponsored in partnership with the University of South Florida. Join us for this webinar as our group of experts will be discussing challenges facing emergency management, solutions to overcome them, and the future of emergency management with insights from practice and the fields of sociology and public affairs.

This month’s shout out is to Nneka Norman Gordon, Tennessee Chapter President, and Victoria Gordon, Kentucky Chapter President, for your warm hospitality in January and all of the work that you do on behalf of ASPA. It was excellent to see you and to meet some of your members.

My visit with Nneka and Victoria and Chapter members was part of our southern chapter tour. To date, I have had the opportunity to visit with 11 different local chapters: Tennessee, Kentucky, South Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Rhode Island, Sacramento, Southern California, Evergreen, Utah, and Colorado. Through attending programs and receptions, joining board meetings, and giving lectures, I am amazed and thankful for all that you do in advancing excellence in public service.

For updates and opportunities, check out our website at www.aspanet.org.

Have a great month and I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event!