These are difficult and uncertain times for America. Challenged by
a variety of
international and domestic issues,we sometimes lose sight of the
principles and
people that make our nation great.The annual awards program
sponsored by
the National Capital Area Chapter (NCAC) of the American Society of
Public
Administration (ASPA) remembers the good deeds and celebrates the
accomplishments
of citizens who dedicate their lives to making our country a
better place for all Americans.
The 2008 awards ceremony, held in May inWashington,DC, recognized
the accomplishments of two outstanding individuals and the work of
a nonprofit
organization that focuses on educating prospective employees about
the
exciting challenges of a public-service career.
David O. Cooke Award
The David O. Cooke Award for Leadership in Public Service
recognizes
public servants for their leadership in public policy, breaking
down barriers between
political appointees and civil service executives and between the
executive
and legislative branches, and improving the publics regard for
government.
This years winner is Timothy B. Clark, who developed his journalism
career studying and writing about government. He also founded the
National
Journal, a preeminent weekly on politics and government.
Clark served as president and editor ofGovernment Executive
from1987 to 2007.
During his tenure, this unique magazine became a leading media
voice describing
the challenges of federal public service. ItsWeb
site,GovernmentExecutive.com,has become the federal governments
business news daily and the premier site
for federalmanagers and executives.The
print edition is a biweekly businessmagazine
serving senior executives and
managers in the federal governments departments
and agencies.
Government Executives editorial
mission is to cover the business of the
federal government and its huge departments
and agenciesdozens of
which dwarf the largest institutions in
the private sector.The magazine aspires
to serve the people who manage
these huge agencies and programs in
much the way that Fortune,Forbes, and
Business Week serve private-sector
managers.
Its editorial goals include the following:
Covering developments affecting
organization and management of
the executive branch
Helping federal executives and
their agencies improve the quality
of their services by reporting on
management innovations
Explaining agencies problems and
failures to offer lessons about pitfalls
to avoid
Helping to improve the image of
the public service by teaching
readers outside government about
the challenges federal officials
confront.
Elmer B. Staats Award
The Elmer B.StaatsAward forAccountability
in Government recognizes
individuals or organizations for excelling
in studies or analyses of the effectiveness
of government programs.
Criteria include the innovative nature
of the study, its scope and impact, and
the recognition of its importance by
peers in the field.
Dr. Kathryn E.Newcomer, this
years winner, is a professor at the
Trachtenberg School of Public Policy
and Public Administration atThe
George Washington University in
Washington, DC. She is recognized
as one of the top twenty-five evaluation
experts in the United States.
Fortunately for federal public service,
Newcomer has focused much of her
energy and attention on developing
creative and effective ways to evaluate
and measure the performance of
federal programs.
The Staats award was presented
to Newcomer by Dr. Stephen Joel
Trachtenberg, president emeritus of
The GeorgeWashington University.
Dr.Newcomer has significantly advanced
the art and science of evaluation,
said Dr. Trachtenberg. Her
tireless dedication and scholarship
have provided an expanded understanding
of the power of evaluation
tools and methods to improve public-
service program delivery.
Newcomer has also written numerous
books, including Improving
Government Performance (1989), The
Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation
(1994, 2004), Using Performance Measurement
to Improve Public and Nonprofit
Programs (1997),Meeting the Challenges
of Performance-Oriented Government
(2002), and Getting Results:A Guide for
Federal Leaders andManagers (2005).She
recently cowrote a book with James
Edwin Kee, Transforming Public and
Nonprofit Organizations: Stewardship for
Leading Change (2008) and has contributed
many articles to professional
journals, including PublicAdministration
Review.
NCAC Presidents Award
The NCAC Presidents Award is
for outstanding recent contributions in
the field of public administration.
Honorees are people who have made
innovative contributions in policy
and management through action or
scholarly research.This years winner
is not a person, but an organization
the Partnership for Public Service
(PPS), based inWashington, DC, and
founded by Samuel J. Heyman in
2001.
A veteran of the Kennedy Justice
Department, Heyman created the
partnership in an effort to restore
prestige to government service and
reestablish the federal government as
an attractive employer forAmericas superior
candidatesas it was when he
graduated from law school.Heymans
actions were motivated by the looming
retirement of his generation. He
viewed this unprecedented loss of talent
from federal service, coupled with
the increasing inability of government
to attract and retain top workers,
as one of the greatest threats to our
national prosperity.
In the last six years, PPS has
helped revitalize the federal government
through the following:
Creating the Service to America
Medals, the premier awards program
honoring the accomplishments
of federal civil servants
Building the Call to Serve network
of more than six hundred
colleges and sixty agencies to promote
government service on college
campuses Helping to establish the bipartisan,
bicameral Congressional Public
Service Caucus, which now boasts
more than forty members
Successfully lobbying for the institution
of a chief human capital officer
at every major federal agency
Launching Best Places toWork in
the Federal Governmentthe first
rankings of federal agencies by
employee satisfaction
Overhauling the hiring process at
three federal agencies
Producing a stream of research to
enhance understanding of critical
workforce challenges.
Senator GeorgeVoinovich, a leading
figure in focusing the attention of
Congress on the importance of a
well-qualified,vital, and productive federal
workforce, presented the award to
PPS President Max Stier. In his acceptance
remarks, Stier spoke eloquently
of the challenges facing the
federal public service and acknowledged
the efforts of the partnerships
talented and dedicated staff to make the
federal public servicethe very best that
it can be.
ASPA
ASPA is committed to the advancement
of excellence in public service.
The society seeks to achieve
that by the advancement of the science,
art, and processes of public administration;
the development and exchange
of public administration literature
and information; and advocacy
on behalf of public service and high
ethical standards in government.
NCAC has nearly five hundred members
and includesASPAs largest group
of public administration practitioners.
NCAC thanks its sponsors for helping
make this celebration of public service
possible, including LMI,www.lmi.org;
KnowledgeBank, Inc., www.knowledgebank.
cc; Federal Management
Partners, Inc.,www.fmpconsulting.com;
and ENC Marketing and Communications,
www.encmarketing.com.