ASPA Recognizes Outstanding Contributions to Public Service

Practitioners and Scholars Honored at 2026 Annual Conference

Washington, DC – More than 40 top practitioners, scholars and organizations were recognized for their contributions and extraordinary commitment to public service at the American Society for Public Administration’s 2026 Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California, March 20-24, 2026. Individuals will be 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 and CEO William Shields.

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

The National Public Service Awards, recognizing outstanding public servants, were awarded to Gerome Banks from the Leadership for an Efficient and Accountable Government program for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management; Jonathan Flores, City Manager for the City of Pharr, Texas; Tomiquia Moss, Secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency for the State of California; and Samantha Power, formerly from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The Nesta M. Gallas Award for Exemplary Professionalism in Public Service was awarded to Carolyn Bourdeaux of the Concord Coalition.

The Gloria Hobson Nordin Social Equity Award, honoring lifetime achievements in advancing social equity, was presented to California Superior Court Judge Lisa Rogan.

The Public Integrity Award, which recognizes an individual or organization who has made outstanding contributions to responsible conduct in public service, was presented to Jerome Powell of the Federal Reserve System.

The Elmer Staats Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Public Service, honoring an individual’s contributions to public service over a lifetime, was presented to Mb.

The Donald C. Stone Service to ASPA Award was presented to Naim Kapucu of the University of Central Florida.

The Dwight Waldo Award, honoring outstanding contributions to public administration scholarship, was awarded to Philip Joyce of the University of Maryland.

The John W. Gaston Award for excellence in public service management was awarded to Lorelei Oviatt of the Kern County, California, Planning and Natural Resources Department.

The b>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 Nakeina Douglas-Glenn of Virginia Commonwealth University and Settled, of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Public Administration Review (PAR), the premier journal for those in public management and administration, presented awards for the best submissions, commentary and book review during the 2025 publication year.

For PAR’s Louis Brownlow Award: Patrick Carter (Results for America); Daniel Cheng (University of Minnesota); Jules Marzec (University of Minnesota); Weston Merrick (Minnesota Department of Management and Budget); Leslie Thompson (Minnesota Department of Human Services); Shuping Wang (Syracuse University); and Chengxin Xu (Seattle University).

Laverne Burchfield Award for Best Book Review: Ali Asker Guenduez (University of St. Gallen).

William E. and Frederick C. Mosher Award: David Hensel (University of Hamburg); Marlen C. Liegat (University of Hamburg); Dominik Vogel (University of Hamburg); and Rick Vogel (University of Hamburg).

Chester A. Newland Award for Best Commentary: Jean Smith (Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District); and Manuel Teodoro (University of Wisconsin).

The International Public Administration Award was presented to Shahjahan H. Bhuiyan for the American University of Cairo.

Two student scholarships, the Wallace O. Keene Conference Scholarship and the
Walter W. Mode Scholarship, were presented. Bikash Adhikari of the University of Central Florida; Michael Amushitan of the Seoul National University; and Zehra Sahin Ilkorkor of the Virginia Commonwealth University received the Wallace O. Keen Conference Scholarships. Vanessa Williams of Strayer University received the Walter W. Mode Scholarship.

ASPA’s Southern California Chapter and Conference of Minority Public Administrators received the Patricia Yearwood Section Awards.

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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. Learn more at www.aspanet.org