The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) have selected the winners of the 2012 National Public Service Awards, the public service 'Oscars' . The 2012 NPSA recipients include Omaha's former police chief, Miami-Dade's first female county manager, a federal budget administrator, the executive director of the largest advocacy organization for municipal governments, and the chief operating officer of the General Accountability Office.
The NPSA recognizes exceptional accomplishments and outstanding contributions by public servants and is the only award that recognizes the contributions of public service practitioners across all sectors of government. The recipients will accept their award on Monday, March 5 at the ASPA National Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Recipients often come from diverse backgrounds and are viewed as models of public service, demonstrating a willingness to take risks to achieve change, making a profound difference to improve services to the public and contributing to the communities in which they live. The 2012 winners represent employees at the nonprofit, federal, executive and state level.
Donald J. Borut serves as Executive Director of the National League of Cities, the nation's oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments. Mr. Borut has more than 40 years of experience in municipal government and organizational leadership, including serving as deputy executive director of the International City Managers Association (ICMA);
Nani A. Coloretti, deputy assistant secretary for management and budget at the Department of Treasury, helped consolidate administrative functions at the Treasury leading to better reporting, substantial savings and increased customer satisfaction;
Patricia Dalton, chief operating officer at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) leads the agency's day to day efforts to support Congress. At the GAO, the Congressional watchdog, Dalton oversees the GAO's creation of more than 1,000 reports and testimonies to Congress annually that provide critical information for decision making, savings for taxpayers and improvement of government services;
Alina Hudak is the first female County Manager for Miami-Dade and a veteran public servant who has dedicated more than 27 years to improving Miami-Dade government and its services to the public. She oversees a government of more than 27,000 public employees spread across more than 50 departments. Since taking the helm in 2003, Ms. Hudak has forged extensive and important partnerships between the government, private businesses and non-profit community organizations;
Thomas H. Warren, former Omaha police chief and President/Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Nebraska is a veteran law enforcement official who served more than 20 years with the Omaha Police Department including four years as police chief. He currently leads the Urban League of Nebraska and has been instrumental in revitalizing the organization by doubling its operating budget and expanding its projects, services and staff.
ASPA President Erik Bergrud described the 2012 NPSA recipients as "outstanding role models who exemplify professionalism, dedication and integrity to successfully perform their duties on behalf of the public they serve.
In addition, ASPA will present the Roslyn Kleeman Keeper of the Flame Award. Established in 2000, this award pays special tribute to an individual who has continued to provide public service after their official retirement from the profession.
This year's recipient Dr. Enid Beaumont served for 12 years as executive director of the Academy of State and Local Government, the umbrella public policy organization for the major national public affairs organization. Retired for 16 years, Dr. Beaumont has continued to work in leadership roles to promote public service, professionalism and to support public administration organizations including ASPA and NAPA.
A former ASPA National President and NAPA fellow, Dr. Beaumont continues to give on the national and international level. From 1996-1998 she served as senior management advisor and chief of party for the Central Government Project of the Republic of Macedonia. She also served as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University and George Mason University.
For more information on the NPSA program, please visit www.aspanet.org.
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