2021 NASPAA Award Winners

NASPAA Dissertation Award:

Stephanie Owen, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, 

Dissertation Title: Essays in the Economics of Education

(Award Committee Members: Evgenia Gorina (Chair), The University of Texas at Dallas; Michael Ahn, University of Massachusetts Boston; Carla Flink, American University; Dana Michael Harsell, University of North Dakota; Alexander Henderson, Marist College; Stephanie Menefee, Northcentral University; Samantha Mosier, East Carolina University; Marvin Overby, Penn State University Harrisburg; and Jessica Sowa, University of Delaware)

William Duncombe Excellence in Doctoral Education Award: 

Rosemary O’Leary, School of Public Affairs and Administration, University of Kansas

(Award Committee Members: Kathryn Newcomer (Chair), The George Washington University; Roland Anglin, Cleveland State University; and Craig Smith, The University of Arizona)

Leslie A. Whittington Excellence in Teaching Award:  

Kevin Kearns, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh

(Award Committee Members: Thomas Barth, University of North Carolina, Charlotte (Chair); Sheldon Edner, George Mason University; and Lawrence McNeil, Bowie State University)

NASPAA/ASPA Distinguished Research Award:  

Barry Rabe, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan

(Award Committee Members: Sabina Deitrick, University of Pittsburgh and James Perry, Indiana University Bloomington)

Staats Emerging Scholars Award:

Renzo de la Riva Agüero, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University Bloomington

Minsung Michael Kang, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York

(Award Committee Members: Shilpa Viswanath, John Jay College of Criminal Justice – CUNY (Chair); Del Bharath, Savannah State University; Wendy Bolyard, University of Colorado Denver; Mark Bradbury, Appalachian State University; Angelina Delgado, Baruch College – CUNY; and Maja Holmes, West Virginia University)

Diversity Award:

School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University – Newark

(Award Committee Members: Brandi Blessett, University of Cincinnati (Co-chair); Blue Wooldridge (Co-chair), Virginia Commonwealth University and members of the Diversity and Social Equity Committee)

Social Justice Curriculum Award:

Bruce D. McDonald III, Department of Public Administration, North Carolina State University

(Award Committee Members: Brandi Blessett, University of Cincinnati (Co-chair); Blue Wooldridge (Co-chair), Virginia Commonwealth University and members of the Diversity and Social Equity Committee)

Pi Alpha Alpha Masters Manuscript Award:

Angel E Benitez Collante, Cornell Institute For Public Affairs, Cornell University Manuscript Title: Bridging the Universal Care Inequality Gap in South America With a Unified Health System: A Comparison of Brazil With Argentina

Carly Corbett-Frank, Department of Public Administration, Pace University Manuscript Title: The Importance of Social Media in Grassroots Organizing for Black Lives Matter: An Analysis of Twitter Activity

(Award Committee Members: Atta A Ceesay, Buffalo State SUNY; Sean McCandless, University of Illinois Springfield and members of the Pi Alpha Alpha Steering Committee)

Pi Alpha Alpha Chapter Advisor Award of Excellence:

Christina Barsky, Baucus Institute, Department of Public Administration and Policy, University of Montana

(Award Committee Members: Atta A Ceesay, Buffalo State SUNY; Sean McCandless, University of Illinois Springfield and members of the Pi Alpha Alpha Steering Committee)

Pi Alpha Alpha Chapter of Excellence Award: 

School of Public Affairs & Civic Engagement, San Francisco State University

(Award Committee Members: Atta A Ceesay, Buffalo State SUNY; Sean McCandless, University of Illinois Springfield and members of the Pi Alpha Alpha Steering Committee)

Pi Alpha Alpha National Voter Registration Day Mini-Grant Award: 

Master of Public Administration Program, Albany State University Master of Public Administration Program, Bowie State University Master of Public Administration Program, North Carolina Central University Master of Public Administration Program, Savannah State University

(Award Committee Members; Atta A Ceesay, Buffalo State SUNY; Sean McCandless, University of Illinois Springfield and members of the Pi Alpha Alpha Steering Committee)

Journal of Public Affairs Education Outstanding Article Award:

Jodi Benenson, School of Public Administration, University of Nebraska Omaha Rachel Fyall, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, University of Washington Jamie Levine Daniel, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, IUPUI

Article Title: Talking About Antisemitism in MPA Classrooms and Beyond

(Award Committee Members: William Hatcher, Augusta University (Co-Editor); Bruce McDonald, North Carolina State University (Co-Editor))

Journal of Public Affairs Education Outstanding Reviewer Award: 

Jeannine Love, Master’s in Public Administration Program, Roosevelt University

(Award Committee Members: William Hatcher, Augusta University (Co-Editor); Bruce McDonald, North Carolina State University (Co-Editor))

Journal of Public Affairs Education and Teaching Public Administration Award for Excellence in Public Administration Education: 

Mary Guy, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado Denver

(Award Committee Members: William Hatcher, Augusta University (Co-Editor); Bruce McDonald, North Carolina State University (Co-Editor))

NASPAA Alumni Spotlight Award:  

Brandon Dennison, Coalfield Development, School of Public Administration, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University Bloomington, Class of 2011

Kyleigh Russ, Govern For America, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University, Class of 2020

(Award Committee Members: George Dougherty, University of Pittsburgh (Co-Chair); Meagan Van Gelder, University of Nebraska Omaha (Co-Chair) and members of the Marketing the MPA/MPP Committee)