2023 Award Recipients

• Public Service Achievement Award: Mike Pries – Chairman of Dauphin County Board of Commissioners

• Chapter Lifetime Achievement Award: Susan G. Hockenberry – Owner of SGHock LLC

• Chapter Leadership Award: Dakotah Kinnan – Management Analyst at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

• Distinguished Public Service Achievement Award: RJ Susko – Planning and Development Director at Town of McCandless

• Outstanding Student: Jingyu Guo, Penn State Harrisburg Doctoral Program; Eric Macadangdang, University of Pittsburgh master’s degree program and Community Networks Coordinator, UrbanKind; Kesley Richardson, West Chester University doctoral program and Chair of the Bill Anderson Research Fellowship; Matthew Tenney, Penn State Harrisburg master’s degree program and Small Business Ombudsman, Oregon Secretary of State

• Student Paper Award: Bri Bovbjerg, Zachariah Hoydich, Karly Keppel, Ruichen Ma, Eric Macadangdang, Shannah Mallett, Adam Nie, Danté Watson, University of Pittsburgh master’s degree capstone project; Joyce Acevedo-Cabrera, Samantha Daugherty, Matthew Tenney, Penn State Harrisburg master’s degree capstone project.

• Ph.D. Research Award: Jonathan Sternesky, West Chester University; Mingean Park, Penn State Harrisburg; Asqa Ali, Penn State Harrisburg; Eli Levine, Penn State Harrisburg

2022 Award Recipients

• Chapter Leadership: Dr. Glenn S. McGuigan – Library Director and Head Librarian at Penn State Harrisburg

• Scholar-Practitioner: Aravind Menon – Program Manager for Resource Optimization at Penn State University College of Medicine and Doctoral Student at Penn State Harrisburg

• Outstanding Student: Kristen Hoffa, MPA Program, Department of Public Policy and Administration, West Chester University; Jessica Lord, MPA Program, School of Public Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg; Mingean Park, Doctoral candidate, School of Public Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg.

• Student Paper: Aysha Muhammad, Therese Pitman, Georgia Verrastro, Aoxiang Wang, and Haozhe Zhang, MPA Program, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh; Julie Brooks, William Cole, Michelle Curtis, Leah Mothersbaugh, and Connor O’Leary, MPA Program, School of Public Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg; Richard Oliver, MPA Program, Department of Public Policy and Administration, West Chester University; Mingean Park, Doctoral candidate, School of Public Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg.

2021 Award Recipients

• Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Beverly A. Cigler, Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Administration, School of Public Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg

• Chapter Leadership: Dr. Victor S. DeSantis, Executive Director of Community Engagement, Government and Economic Development, Millersville University

• Outstanding Scholar-Practitioner: Kate Ellison, Manager, Government Advocacy and Communications, UPMC and MPPM program at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh; and Alex Swan, Economic Development Analyst, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and MPA student at the School of Public Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg

• Outstanding Student: Dakotah Kinnan, MPA program, School of Public Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg; Eric Raabe, MPA program, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh; Alaina Sforza, MPA program, Department of Public Policy and Administration, West Chester University; Saahir Shafi, Doctoral candidate, School of Public Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg

• Student Paper: Zoe Burch, Yingzi Liu and Brett Stewart, MPA program, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh; and Donald Dyer, Christina Emond, Michael Hackenburg and Andrew Zeller, MPA program, School of Public Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg

2020 Award Recipients

• Lifetime Achievement:  Marita Kelley, Regional Director, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and Past President, Keystone State Chapter

• Chapter Leadership:  Tyler Sova, U.S. General Services Administration and Keystone State Chapter Board of Directors 

• Innovative Public Service Partnership: Congress of Neighboring Communities (Connect);  and the City of Harrisburg & Penn State Harrisburg

• Outstanding Scholar-Practitioner:  Jennifer Bert, University of Pittsburgh and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Office

• Outstanding Student:  Huiting Qi, Penn State Harrisburg PhD program; Emma Yourd, University of Pittsburgh MPA program; and John Tintera, Millersville University BA program

• Outstanding Student Paper:  Huiting Qi, Penn State Harrisburg

2019 Award Recipients

• Lifetime Achievement:  David Margolis, Retired, Commonwealth of PA Agency Fiscal Officer

• Public Servant Leadership:  Dr. Michele Tantardini, Penn State Harrisburg School of Public Affairs

• Excellence in Local Government:  Luke Reven, East Brandywine Township, Chester County

• Outstanding Young Professional:  Nathan Reese, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

• Outstanding Student:  Eunsil Yoo, Penn State Harrisburg PhD program

• Student Paper:  Dylan Lucas Yingling, Penn State Harrisburg MPA program and Sahir Shafi, Penn State Harrisburg PhD program

2018 Award Recipients

• Lifetime Achievement:  Dan Jurman, CEO Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County

• Excellence in Public Service:  Jeffery L Osgood, Jr., Senior Vice Provost, West Chester University 

• Public Servant Leadership:  David Margolis, PA Department of Transportation

• Excellence in Local Government:  Lisa Schaefer, County Commissioners Association of PA

• Outstanding Young Professional:  Matt Holliday, Prothonotary of Chester County

• Outstanding Student: Yoon Ah Shin, University of Pittsburgh

• Student Paper:  Michele Curtis, Penn State Harrisburg, Catherine Dertouzos, West Chester University and Christina Dertouzos, West Chester University

• Innovative Partnership Award:  Dr. Michele Tantardini and student research team, Penn State Harrisburg School of Public Affairs

2017 Award Recipients

• Lifetime Achievement:  Dan Jurman, CEO Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County

• Excellence in Public Service:  The Honorable Eugene DePasquale, Auditor General  

• Public Servant Leadership:  Dr. Bing Ran, Penn State Harrisburg School of Public Affairs

• Excellence in Local Government:  Rick Loughery, Chester County Recorder of Deeds

• Outstanding Young Professional:  Nolan Ritchie, Senate of Pennsylvania

• Outstanding Student: Laura Bleiler, West Chester University

• Student Paper:  Juan Bermudez Blanco, Penn State Harrisburg and Tyler Sova, West Chester University

2016 Award Recipients

• Lifetime Achievement:  Dr. Terry Madonna, Franklin and Marshall College

• Excellence in Public Service:  Secretary Sharron Minnich, Governor’s Office of Administration

• Excellence in Local Government:  Edward Knittel, PA State Association of Boroughs

• Young Professional In Public Administration:  Terrell Martin, PA Department of Transportation

• Outstanding Student:  Abigail Lombard, Allegheny College

• Student Paper:  William Simonson, West Chester University, and Brandin McDonough, Penn State Harrisburg

2015 Award Recipients

• Lifetime Achievement: Gene Barr, PA Chamber of Business and Industry

• Excellence in Public Service: Rick Schuettler, PA Municipal League

• Excellence in Local Government: Jeffrey Stonehill, Borough of Chambersburg

• Young Professional in Public Administration: Jennifer Horn, McCormick Taylor

• Outstanding Student in Public Administration: Kathryn Barone, Penn State Harrisburg

• Outstanding Student in Public Administration: Mike Kirby, Shippensburg University

2014 Award Recipients

• Lifetime Achievement: Elam Herr, PA State Association of Township Supervisors

• Excellence in Public Service: Clint Eisenhower, PA Department of Human Services

• Young Professional in Public Administration: Jamie Legenos, PA Department of Transportation

• Outstanding Student in Public Administration: Gregory Wilson, Penn State Harrisburg

• Student Paper: Jonathan Ravin Hicks, Penn State Harrisburg and Brandon Danz, Shippensburg University

2013 Award Recipients

• Lifetime Achievement: Nancy Dering Mock, Nancy Dering, Inc.

• Excellence in Public Service: Honorable Barry Schoch, P.E., PA Department of Transportation

• Outstanding Student: Phil Wolgemuth, Shippensburg University

2012 Award Recipients

• Lifetime Achievement: Christ Zervanos, Retired, Director of the  Bureau of Labor Relations, Pennsylvania Office of Administration

• Public Servant Leadership:  David Margolis, Director of the Bureau of Fiscal Management, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation