Raleigh – Public sector employees from state agencies, universities and local government were recognized on Monday for completing the rigorous North Carolina Certified Public Manager® Program (CPM) in an informal virtual ceremony led by the Talent Management Division of the Office of State Human Resources (OSHR).

“The achievement of this year’s graduates is especially impressive, given that we had to shift this highly collaborative, mostly in-person program to an online format due to the pandemic,” said John Massey, director of the Talent Management Division. “Our participants completed a wide scope of complex projects, using their CPM skills to address specific agency challenges.”

The 2020 class CPM graduates will join next year’s cohort for a formal ceremony to be held in October 2021.

Managed by OSHR, the program was established in 1982 as the North Carolina Public Manager Program to enhance the effectiveness of public sector organizations across our state by developing the leadership capabilities of mid-level managers. Since then, more than 2,424 mid-level managers across state and local governments have completed the program. 

To date, 1,626 of those graduates have been awarded the Certified Public Manager designation following the program’s accreditation by the National Certified Public Manager Consortium.

Framed certificates, signed by Governor Roy Cooper, State Human Resources Director Barbara Gibson, Talent Management Director John Massey and CPM Program Director Reed Altman, were sent to each graduate.

All honorees are based in Raleigh unless otherwise noted:

• Administrative Office of the Courts: Soumajit Ghosh, Kathryn Wall Hair
• Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Cathy Ma
• Department of Commerce: Felicia Culbreath-Setzer (Conover), Regina Rae Graham
• Department of Environmental Quality: Mary Margaret Taylor Hartsfield (Winston-Salem), Elizabeth Torrey Huddleston (Washington), Anjali Orlando, Colleen Marie Simmons (Mooresville)
• Department of Health and Human Services: Tracy Alan Bristow (Winterville), Akil J.T. Campbell, Tonja Burnett Reeder (Charlotte), Layne Roberts, Stacy Michele Silvia
• Department of Information Technology: Joseph W. Fort, Maurice La Mont Jordan, James Michael Shafer
• Department of Justice: Danielle Marquis Elder
• Department of Natural and Cultural Resources: Lindsay Flood Ferrante
• Department of Public Instruction: Marshall Todd Foster
• Department of Public Safety: David Ross Carter (Roxboro), Benjamin Adam Carver (Marion), Sylvia L. Clement (Asheville), Timothy Paul Jones (Smithfield), Gary Nelson Parks (Greenville)
• Department of Revenue: Nicole Ann Hunter, Andre J. Little, Veronica McKenzie (Charlotte), Lacie Brooks Morrow (Asheville), Deborah Joyner Owens (Winterville), William Preston Young
• Department of Transportation: Wasan Abdul Baki Alkaissi, John. W. Kirby, Jeffrey Scott Littlefield (Albemarle), Anthony Paul Tagliaferri (Albemarle), Byron Sanders Jr. (Cary), David Neil Snoke (Cary)
• Office of the State Controller: Theresa I. Jeffries (Cary)
• Winston-Salem State University: Debra Lynn Gunter (Winston-Salem)

For additional information about the North Carolina Certified Public Manager® Program, visit https://oshr.nc.gov/document/certified-public-manager-program.

 

On Thursday, August 20, the Arkansas Public Administration Consortium (APAC) graduated 15 Arkansas Certified Public Managers^®.

Graduates were Marsha Bottoms Rigney, Arkansas Career Training Institute, LaTonya Brooks, State of Arkansas, Brian C. Brown, Arkansas State Bank Department, LaVennier Brown, Arkansas Division of Rehabilitation Services, Kathleen Doyle, Pulaski County Assessor’s Office, Steven Fowler, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Michelle Gillham, Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment, Carrie Jackson, Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment, Regina Moss, Arkansas Division of Services for the Blind, Mason Murphey, Arkansas Division of Services for the Blind, David Nicpan, Pulaski County Assessor’s Office, Kimberly Reed, EngageAR, Lindsey Stroud, Arkansas Department of Education, John Michael Thompson, Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, Samuel A. Walker, Pulaski County Assessor’s Office, Chief John Whisenant, Beaver Lake Fire Department, and Amber Yates, Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority.

Samuel A. Walker was honored with the Askew Award and Outstanding Project Plan for his exceptional capstone project, titled ““The 2022 Reappraisal: Residential Rental Property Valuations.” Samuel serves as the Director of Reappraisals at the Pulaski County Assessor’s Office. His project plan was focused on establishing the groundwork to gather the necessary income information to value residential income properties for the 2022 reappraisal. The process would include identifying rental properties, contacting taxpayers to gather income data, establishing property gross rent multipliers which will be used to calculate the final value of the property.

For more information, contact Marie Lindquist, Executive Director of the Arkansas Public Administration Consortium at mtlindquist@ualr.edu. Additional information about the Arkansas Certified Public Manager^® Program can be found athttp://ualr.edu/publicaffairs/apac/.

On May 14, 2019 more than 40 graduates of the Indiana Certified Public Manager® (CPM) Program attended the inaugural CPM Alumni Conference for a day of networking and professional development. Associate Dean Clare Chatot of the College of Sciences and Humanities welcomed the group to the Ball State Alumni Center. Certified Public Managers Vern Gillum (Indiana Department of Natural Resources) and Sarah Reed (City of Noblesville) presented information about their successful capstone projects. Mayor Richard Hickman ofAngola spoke about the value of public service and Mitch Isaacs of Shafer Leadership Academy spoke about leadership during the afternoon session.

2019 New Hampshire Certified Public Manager Graduation

Dennis Martino June 7

Friday, June 7^th marked a day of celebration for the CPM graduates in New Hampshire. The NH Bureau of Education and Training, the training arm of the NH Department of Administrative Services awarded the CPM designation to 31 students representing State, County and Municipal workers. The New Hampshire Program has two levels. In addition to the 26 CPM graduates more than 60 students graduated from the first level of the program.

The ceremony which was held in Concord NH at the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Academy also celebrated graduates from the NHBET LEAN Black Belt Program. The Keynote address was delivered by Commissioner Robert Quinn of the NH Department of Safety. His address featured an urging to keep learning and always looking forward to progress and innovation.

CPM graduates Included:

Gary Brown- Project Manager -NH Public Works; Jeannie Cadarette- Emergency Services and Communications-NH DOS; Karen Clement- Town Administrator, Brentwood NH; Rebecca Desrochers- Emergency Services and Communications-NH DOS ; Joseph Devine- Compliance Officer, City of Rochester NH; Rebekah Dougherty- Budget Analyst, City of Concord NH; Mamta Dua- NH Division of Public Health Services; Kurt Ekstrom- NH Health and Human Services; Katrina Hansen- Chief Infectious Disease Surveillance NH DPHS; Sean Heichlinger- NH Homeland Security NH DOS;Jacqueline Howarth-  Bacteria Monitoring Supervisor, NH Environmental Services; Laura Ingram-  Purchasing Agent, NH DAS; Allison Keating- Wildlife Biologist NH Fish and Game; Diane M. Kendall, Executive Assistant to Select Board, Town of Deering NH; Karen Kimel- NH Office of the Child Advocate; Traci Knierieman- Accountant Department of Environmental Services; Mark Laliberte- NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs; Heidi Laramie- Internal Affairs Investigator, NH Department of Corrections; Darlene Laro- NH HHS Health Facilities Administration; Darren Lescarbeau- Supervisor NH Division of Emergency Services; Robert Lozeau- Assistant Professor NHDOC Building Trades Program; Shelley A. Marshall- NH Department of Environmental Services, Air Resources; Elizabeth Maynard JD- NH DHHS Emergency Services Unit; Danielle Morse- Strategic National Stockpile Coordinator- NH DHHS; Heid Petzold- Program Review Specialist, NH DHHS Housing Support; RonnieAnn Rakowski- Policy and Planning Director, NH Council on Disabilities; Rick Sawyer- Town Manager, Bedford, NH; Denis Switzer- Civil Engineer, NH Department of Transportation; Jeff Whitney- NH DHHS Finance Unit; Benjamin Yolda- Supervisor IV NH Division for Children Youth and Families; Tabatha L. Young- Abandoned Property Claims Processor, NH Treasury Department

For more information, contact Dr. Ginger Lever, CPM Program Manager at ginger.lever@das.nh.gov

Additional information about the New Hampshire Certified Public Manager^® Program and other programs offered by the NHBET can be found at https://das.nh.gov/hr/trdev.html

On Thursday, May 23rd, the Arkansas Public Administration Consortium (APAC) graduated 15 Arkansas Certified Public Managers^® at the University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College Campus Center in North Little Rock.

Graduates were Nathan Alderson, Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Billie L. Egli, UA Pulaski Technical College, Heather Garrett, Arkansas Real Estate Commission, Lori Goode, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Christopher Holder, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Biranda Lumpkin, Arkansas Public Administration Consortium, Cindy Murphy, Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, Julia Nicol, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Jason Olive, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Antwanette Pettigrew-House, Arkansas State Bank Department, Melissa Riffle, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Hollie Sanders , Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Lisa Smith, Arkansas State Bank Department, Virginia S. Speake, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, and Kevin White, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

Julia Nicol was honored with the Askew Award and Best Project Plan for her exceptional capstone project, titled “The Project Pool: Leveraging untapped resources at work.”  Julia serves as the Senior Manager of Policy & Administration within the Office of Land Resources for the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. Her project is described as a project-based, resource-sharing program that matches staff members who have extra time to complete special projects that have been submitted by those in the office who do not have the time or resources to complete the work.

For more information, contact Biranda Lumpkin, CPM Program Manager at bmlumpkin@ualr.edu, or Marie Lindquist, Executive Director of the Arkansas Public Administration Consortium at mtlindquist@ualr.edu. Additional information about the Arkansas Certified Public Manager^® Program can be found athttp://ualr.edu/publicaffairs/apac/.

On August 17, 2018, the State of New Jersey Certified Public Manager (CPM) program held its annual graduation ceremony.  Seven cohorts concluded, producing 128 graduates.  The cohorts were comprised of representatives from diverse public-sector areas such as, emergency management, IT, law enforcement, environmental oversight, employee counseling, finance, and program planning.  As administrators, we remain committed to facilitating our CPM students' immersion in “diversity of thought” to ensure that as graduates of the program they have the perspectives and resources needed to excel in today’s globally competitive workforce. 

 

 

Florida's CPM Program adds 353 new graduates

On Thursday, May 10th, the Arkansas Public Administration Consortium (APAC) graduated 15 Arkansas Certified Public Managers^® at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock.

Graduates were Crystal Walton, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Veronica Wicker Alexander, Arkansas Department of Labor, Darla Brooks, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Mark Cutrer, Arkansas Forestry Commission, Tim Harrison, Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, Lisa Mayers, Pulaski County Assessor’s Office, Joshua Middleton, Disability Determination for Social Security Administration, Mikel Murders, Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, Crystal Phelps, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Jimmy Powell, Pulaski County Assessor’s Office, Leonard Smith, Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, Samuel Sparrow, Commissioner of State Lands, Rosetta Toles, Arkansas State Medical Board, TyJunia Nicole Clark, Arkansas Community Connection, and Charles Gastineau, City of Ward.

Mikel Murders was honored with the Askew Award and Best Project Plan for his exceptional capstone project, titled “Centralized Discharge Station for Hauled Liquid Waste.”  Mikel serves as the Environmental Sampling Supervisor for the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority and oversees operations for the Authority’s pretreatment, bio solids and sampling programs. His project is aimed at creating a centralized disposal facility that will provide hauled liquid waste transporters a more environmentally sound option for disposal of wastewater.

For more information, contact Biranda Lumpkin, CPM Program Manager at bmlumpkin@ualr.edu, or Marie Lindquist, Executive Director of the Arkansas Public Administration Consortium at mtlindquist@ualr.edu. Additional information about the Arkansas Certified Public Manager^® Program can be found at http://ualr.edu/publicaffairs/apac/.

On August 11, 2017, there were 123 proud New Jersey public servants who graduated from the New Jersey Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program delivered by Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA).

The graduating class was comprised of varied public sector leaders from across New Jersey. Graduates included: a town Mayor, State Division Director, Police Captain, Business Administrator, Battalion Chief, City Clerk, and Employment Supervisor (to name a few). The graduates exemplify dedicated public servants who contribute the diversity of intellect in practice that the Civil Service Commission and Rutgers University strive to achieve with the CPM program. 

Through their pursuit and completion of the CPM credential, graduates demonstrated their commitment to develop leadership skills and apply public sector best practices. As a notable example of these standards, the Askew Award was presented to Christina Oatman, of the Cherry Hill Fire Department, in recognition of her exemplary capstone project, “Facing a New Threat: A World of Shifting Paradigms”. There were seven other graduates recognized for their notable capstone projects at the graduation ceremony.  

 

Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service graduated sixty-two new Texas Certified Public Managers® at the Texas State Capitol on Monday June 12, 2017. The CPM graduates and their families came from CPM Programs at the following locations: Arlington, Houston, Edinburg and Nacogdoches, Round Rock, San Marcos Texas. The graduates participated in CPM Programs offered by the following universities, Texas State, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, the University of Houston and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

The Graduation Speaker, Chris Hartung, is a regular and popular instructor in Texas CPM programs. Mr. Hartung is the President of Chris Hartung Consulting and a former City Manager of the City of Denton Texas. In the graduation address, Chris spoke about the need to regain public trust, through relationship building, active communication and ensuring the community understands “why” government decisions are made.

You can see the list of graduates from each university program, view photos, and watch Chris Hartung’s charge to graduates online here.