For Immediate Release
April 15, 2021
Contact:
Karen Garrett
Chief of Communications & Marketing
(202) 585-4313

ASPA Recognizes Outstanding Contributions to Public Service

Practitioners and Scholars to be Honored at 2019 Annual Conference

Washington, DC – More than 40 practitioners, scholars and organizations were recognized for their contributions and extraordinary commitment to public service at the American Society for Public Administration’s 2021 Annual Conference, online April 9-15. Individuals were recognized for their contributions promoting integrity in public service, lifetime scholarship and service to ASPA, among other areas.

This year’s recipients represent a diverse mix of individuals working in the public, nonprofit and academic arenas, as well as the next generation of public servants who are completing their public affairs degrees or beginning their public service careers.

“Public service is about commitment to others. Those dedicated to the public good invest countless hours to making their communities and the world around them a better place to live, work and thrive. As the leading organization dedicated to advancing public service excellence, ASPA stands at the forefront in honoring their work and commitment to a cause greater than their own,” said ASPA Executive Director William Shields.

In recognition of lifetime contributions, scholarship and dedication to the public service and public administration, ASPA will present the following awards:

The National Public Service Awards, recognizing outstanding public servants, were awarded to Miguel Marquez of County of Santa Clara; Maria (Sandy) Matava of Suffolk University; James Mayer of University of the Pacific; Sean O’Keefe (Syracuse University); Jennifer Riggle of the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration; and P. Benjamin Smith of Indian Health Service.

The Nesta M. Gallas Award, honoring exemplary professionalism in public service, was presented to Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.

The Gloria Hobson Nordin Social Equity Award, honoring lifetime achievements in advancing social equity, was presented to Terryl Ross of the University of Washington.

The Public Integrity Awards, which recognize individuals or organizations who have made outstanding contributions to responsible conduct in public service, were presented to Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and National Association of State Election Directors.

The Elmer Staats Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Public Service, honoring an individual’s contributions to public service over a lifetime, was presented to Janice Lachance of American Geophysical Union.

The Paul Van Riper Awards for Excellence and Service, honoring ASPA members who have made significant contributions as both an academic and a practitioner, were presented to Teodoro Benavides of University of Texas at Dallas and Mary E. Guy of University of Colorado Denver.

The Donald C. Stone Service to ASPA Awards were presented to Roslyn Alic-Batson of Miami-Dade County; Charles Menifield of Rutgers University—Newark; M. Jae Moon of Yonsei University; and James Ward of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

The Dwight Waldo Award, honoring outstanding contributions to public administration scholarship, was awarded to Richard Stillman of University of Colorado Denver.

The Charles H. Levine Memorial Award honoring excellence in public administration was awarded to Susan Gooden of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The John W. Gaston Award for Excellence in Public Service Management was awarded to Craig Grossenbacher of Miami-Dade County.

The Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Exemplary Practice Awards, presented to individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to a more equal society, were given to Matt Allen of Garden City, Kansas; Community Building Initiative of Charlotte, North Carolina; Kara Johnson-Hufford of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment; National Low Income Housing Coalition; and RVA Eviction Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Public Administration Review (PAR), the premier journal for those in public management and administration, presented awards for the best submission, commentary and book review during the 2020 publication year.

For PAR’s William E. and Frederick C. Mosher Award: Gary E. Hollibaugh, Jr. (University of Pittsburgh), Matthew R. Miles (Brigham Young University Idaho) and Chad B. Newswander (Brigham Young University Idaho).

Burchfield Award for Best Book Review: Melanie Bowers (Rutgers University—Camden).

Louis Brownlow Award: P. Edward French (Mississippi State University), Craig Orgeron (State of Mississippi), Karen Renaud (University of Strathclyde) and Merrill Warkentin (Mississippi State University).

Chester A. Newland Award: Amy Goodin (University of Oklahoma), David Grizzle (City of Norman, Oklahoma) and Scott E. Robinson (University of Oklahoma).

For Public Integrity’s Best Article Award: Agnes Igoye (Ministry of Internal Affairs, Uganda).

Best Book Review Award: Cynthia Golembeski (Rutgers University—Newark).

ASPA will present the H. George Frederickson PA TIMES Best Article Award for the writer of the article judged most informative, critical and contributing to new knowledge published in ASPA’s quarterly magazine. This year’s recipient is Lisa Garrett of Los Angeles County.

The International Public Administration Award, presented to Nittam Chandel of Swami Vivekanand Government College, Ghumarwin, India, recognizes his efforts to strengthen the public sector and understanding of public service internationally.

Two student scholarships, the Wallace O. Keene Conference Scholarship Award and the Walter W. Mode Scholarship Award, will be presented in May 2021 at the Students and New Professionals Summit. Hanjin Mao of Rutgers University—Newark, Nhung Thi Hong Nguyen of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Zeeshan Noor of University of Texas at Dallas and Shahrin Upoma of University of Texas at Dallas will receive the Wallace O. Keen award. Chelsea Boozer of Central Arkansas Water and Hanjin Mao of Rutgers University—Newark will receive the Walter W. Mode Scholarship.

ASPA’s Section on Democracy and Social Justice will be presented with the Oveta Culp Hobby Award for the best Section programming in 2020; the Section on Emergency and Crisis Management will be presented with the Patricia Yearwood Section Award for the best newsletter in 2020.

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ASPA is the leading interdisciplinary public service organization that advances the art, science, teaching and practice of public and nonprofit administration.