News
Wilder School to Participate in ASPA 2021 Virtual Conference
April 6, 2021
By Briana Williams
Over the past year, the Wilder School has continued its impressive record of scholarship, both in the publication of research and through extensive engagement in professional and academic associations.
This week, thirteen Wilder School faculty, students and alumni—including Association Past President and Wilder School Dean, Susan Gooden, Ph.D.— present numerous presentations during the 2021 American Society for Public Administration Conference (ASPA) to be held virtually, April 9 -15. Additionally, the Wilder School will sponsor a special ASPA Anti-Racism Plenary Session featuring activist and race historian, Ibram X. Kendi at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14.
The 2021 conference will feature seven days of content, across 56 hours of programming and include more than 150 panels. Paper presentations and panels represent the breadth and multidisciplinary interests of Wilder faculty and students in topics ranging from social equity, diversity and inclusion, to crisis communications during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic development through government collaboration.
Founded in 1939, ASPA is the nation’s preeminent association of public management professionals. Its membership of more than 8,000 students, academics and practitioners represent all levels of government and include every substantive function and specialty area within the public and non-profit sectors. The association is dedicated to advancing excellence in public service. As a focal point for intellectual and professional interaction, ASPA serves as an important catalyst for linking theory and practice within the profession of public management.
Click here to view presentations from participating Wilder School faculty, students and alumni.
In addition to those presenting, the following individuals will receive top honors and distinction at this year’s conference. The recipients of the ASPA 2021 Awards from the Wilder School include:
Susan Gooden, Ph.D., Wilder School Dean, is the 2021 recipient of the Charles H. Levine Memorial Award for Excellence in Public Administration. Presented jointly by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), the Charles H. Levine Award is an accolade that recognizes a public administration scholar who has made indelible achievements in teaching, research and service. Highly competitive, selection for the Levine Award is uncommon: Dr. Gooden is the first person to receive the award since 2015, and the first African-American to be presented with the prize in its 31-year history.
Kathryn Howell, Ph.D. and Benjamin F. Teresa, Ph.D., Wilder School faculty members and co-founders of the RVA Eviction Lab will receive the Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Exemplary Practice Award. This award is presented to individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to a more equal society. Howell and Teresa’s innovative social justice scholarship through RVA Eviction lab aims to expose and erode inequities in evictions within the Greater Richmond Metro area and across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Curtis Brown, Wilder School alum, State Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the co-founder of the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (IDIEM) will receive the 2021 CAP Emerging Leaders Award for his exceptional commitment, innovational efforts to make the provision of disaster response more equitable and inclusive—both within the Commonwealth and beyond in the field of emergency preparedness.
Brie Haupt, Wilder School faculty has received the ASPA Democracy and Social Justice Section Book of the Year Award for her book, Cultural Competency for Emergency and Crisis Management, Concepts, Theories and Case Studies, recently published by Routledge and available from Amazon. “Cultural Competency for Emergency and Crisis Management” examines the lack of culturally respectable responses to diverse populations and underscores the critical need for cultural competency education and training in higher education and practice. Ever timely, its case studies range from national and international emergency and crisis management and includes expert counsel from leading authorities in various aspects of emergency management.
Brittany Keegan, Director of Research and Outreach at the Wilder School’s Center of Public Policy, was selected as one of the 2021 ASPA Founder’s Fellows. The program recognizes outstanding students & new professionals in the field of public service & public administration.