Redefining Public Service Through Civic Engagement

ASPA 2012 National Conference Invite from ASPA National on Vimeo.

ASPA’s Annual Conference Kicks-Off this Friday, March 2, 2012
Businesses, nonprofits, and citizen groups have become essential partners in government, contributing resources to community problem solving and public service delivery. Recently, the rapid expansion of technology and the development of social media has informed and empowered individuals and is changing the relationships between governments and citizens. The 2012 conference will bring together government and nonprofit professionals, scholars, students, and citizen groups to learn what is happening in various areas and obtain skills that they can implement in their communities, states and countries. Over 400 public service experts will be on hand to address concerns encountered in the work place and offer creative solutions. Through keynote presentations, SuperSessions, workshops, panels roundtable discussions and poster presentations attendees will experience first-hand leadership skills to elevate the public service profession.

Plan now to be a part of the most comprehensive public administration conference of the year!

Special Events at the 2012 ASPA Annual Conference
?Champagne and Chocolate Affair, Friday, 5:30-7:30 pm—The SPLA section of ASPA will be having an affair entitled the “Champagne and Chocolate Affair” which will be held at the Planet Hollywood Towers. Everyone can travel to the location by the tram that is accessible from the Flamingo Hotel. It will take place on Friday, March 2, 2012 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

Opening Plenary, Saturday, 9:00-10:30am—ASPA welcomes John Berry, the director of the United States Office of Personnel Management to deliver the Keynote Address. John Berry is the federal government’s chief people person and responsible for recruiting, hiring, and setting benefits policies for 1.9 million Federal civilian employees. Calling this a new day for civil service, he is reinvigorating the federal workforce to meet the challenges of the 21st century. With over 20 years of experience in the federal government, Berry is a passionate and aggressive advocate for public service and federal workers. During his career, he has served as deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary for Law Enforcement at the deputy of treasury, assistant secretary for the policy and budget at the Department of the Interior, director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and director of the National Zoo.

Student and New Professional Summit, Saturday and Sunday, various times—ASPA continues to expand programming for new and future public service professionals. The summit is geared for undergrads, MPA students, doctoral candidates and new public service professionals. Sessions focus on career development strategies and offer unique networking opportunities. Advanced registration is not required but seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here for the preliminary summit program schedule.

SuperSessions, Saturday through Tuesday, various times—SuperSessions are high-level panels that appeal to a wide range of interests. This year, SuperSessions are planned on the legacy of John Rohr, eradicating poverty, social media, the nexus of water, energy and telecom, and a wrap up of our Letters to the President project. Click here for more information and the full schedule of SuperSessions.

Welcome Reception, Saturday, 6:00-9:00pm—Kick off the conference at the Welcome Reception hosted by the Southern Nevada chapter of ASPA. This year’s welcome reception will be held at the University of Las Vegas Nevada in Greenspun Hall, a innovatively designed building that earned the U.S. Green Building Council highly regarded Gold Certification as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The welcome reception offers an atmosphere of fun, networking, and an introduction to the host city. The host committee promises a mix of old Las Vegas and the glitter of the new. The evening’s activities will include gaming lessons, showgirls, a photo booth and maybe even an appearance by the King. Transportation to UNLV from the host hotel will be provided. The welcome reception is included with full or Saturday registration.

Public Service Careers in Focus, Sunday, 10:45am and 1:45pm—If you are just starting your career in Public Service or are looking to make a change, consider attending these sessions. The first one is “Innovative Approaches to a Career in Public Service” and will offer ideas to help jumpstart your career search. The second session, “Perspectives on a Public Service Career,” will feature a panel of administrators and academicians to address your concerns and answer any questions you may have.

Elliot Richardson Lecture, Sunday, 3:30-4:45pm—Walter D. Broadnax, distinguished professor of public administration at the Maxwell School and trustee emeritus of Syracuse University is the Elliot Richardson lecturer at this year’s Annual Conference. A public policy expert, his stellar career includes serving as president of Clark Atlanta University, dean of the School of Public Affairs at American University and professor of public policy and management in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Maryland, where he also directed the Bureau of Governmental Research. He was also a full-time faculty member at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government from 1981-1987. From 1993-1996 he was the deputy secretary and chief operating officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In prior years he held key positions in state government as president of the New York Civil Service Commission and as director of Children Youth and Adult Services for the State of Kansas. He also currently serves on the advisory board of Harvard University’s Taubman Center. Broadnax was president of ASPA from 2003-2004 and in 2005 was selected as one of America’s History-Makers.

SWPA National Awards Breakfast, Monday, 7:30am—ASPA’s Section on Women in Public Administration (SWPA) is very excited to confirm Deborah L. Frett, CEO of the Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation, as the keynote speaker for the SWPA National Awards Breakfast on March 5, 2012. This event has always been among the top attended events of the ASPA Conference. This will once again give us a national presence as we had with Eleanor Clift, Frances Garcia, IG of GAO, and Patricia Ireland, the longest-serving NOW president. As the BPW Foundation’s chief executive officer, Frett is a national figure in women’s issues with a particular emphasis on women veterans who are returning to civilian life. For more information, please visit www.bpwfoundation.org.

Donald C. Stone Lecture, Monday, 9:45-11:15am—This year ASPA is honored by having co-lecturers for this prestigious event.

Camilla Stivers is distinguished professor emerita, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University, where she held the Levin chair in urban studies and public service for five years. She has been a member of ASPA since 1979. Stivers is a two-time winner of the Rita Mae Kelly award given by the Section on Women in Public Administration for distinguished research. She has authored or co-authored several books including Governance in Dark Times: Practical Philosophy for Public Service (2008), which received the Brownlow Book Award from the National Academy of Public Administration. Stivers was associate editor of Public Administration Review (PAR) from 2000-2005 and is currently editor of the University of Alabama book series, “Public Administration: Criticism and Creativity.” She also spent nearly two decades as a practicing manager in community-based nonprofit organizations and taught at The Evergreen State College.

Cheryl Simrell King, is a member of the faculty in the Graduate Program in Public Administration (MPA) at The Evergreen State College. Coauthor of Transformative Public Service: Portraits of Theory in Practice (2005, M.E. Sharpe) and Government is Us: Public Administration in an Anti-Government Era (1998, Sage Publications) and editor of Government is Us, 2.0 (2011, M.E. Sharpe) as well as articles in other trade press and academic journals, she writes and practices in the areas of democratizing and transforming public administration, accountability, sustainability and the relationships among and between citizens and their governments. King’s current public service work focuses on transformational sustainability in local governments (in partnership with the City of Olympia) and assisting local government officials in designing and implementing citizen engagement endeavors.

Both of these women have been identified in SWPA’s “Profiles of Outstanding Women in Public Administration”. ASPA is very fortunate to have two such bright stars in the public administration field and dedicated public servants in our ranks.

Closing Plenary, Monday, 2:00-3:30pm—THE ROAD TO RECOVERY IS PAVED WITH PUBLIC SERVANTS. Maria David-Evans is the President of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and the longest serving Deputy Minister for the Government of Alberta. She will share from her 45 years of public service experience and her extensive academic background the competencies and skill sets essential for today’s public servants. Not only are these competencies crucial for bringing America out of recession, but indeed putting the world on the road to recovery. Experts claim that the global financial crisis can be traced back to serious structural problems in economic, financial and tax policies and regulations. In these extraordinary times, when political leaders are searching for creative solutions to complex problems, we need extraordinary public servants, ones with excellent skills in policy development, outstanding policy implementation abilities, the know-how and innovation necessary to deliver vital public goods and services in our multi-stakeholder environment, to lead and undertake massive public sector transformations, and most importantly the courage to provide the hard truths and frank advice to our political leaders.

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