2025 In-Person Symposiums in Cooperation with Various Organizations

ASPA’s Section on Public Management Practice Conducts an In-Person Symposium at the ASPA National Conference on Saturday March 29, 2025

By: Dr. Howard Balanoff, Director, Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service & Chair, ASPA’s Section for Public Management Practice (SPMP)

On Saturday March 29, 2025, ASPA’s Section for Public Management Practice (SPMP) in cooperation with APSA’s Section on African Public Administration sponsored a Symposium entitled, Meeting the Professional Development and Educational Challenges of the next Decade at the ASPA National Conference in Washington DC.

The Symposium was sponsored by Texas State University’s William P Hobby Center for Public Service and featured an outstanding list of speakers on the topics of artificial intelligence (AI), the Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program and good governance, politics and policy in Africa with an emphasis on good governance in the country of Morocco.

The keynote speaker at the Symposium was Texas State University Professor, Dr. Miha Vindis, who delivered the William P. Hobby Distinguished Lecture. The Lecture was entitled, Guidance for Educators on How to Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a University Environment.

The Symposium also featured three outstanding panels, the first panel was Public Administration Professional Development and Educational Challenges and Opportunities in Morocco which was a continuation of 2-day Symposium sponsored by Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service which was conducted in Marrakesh, Morocco on January 23 & 24, 2025)

The second panel was The Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program: A National Model for Professional Development and Education in the US and around the World which discussed how the CPM Program could better meet the professional development needs of public and not for profit managers in the US and around the world. The panel was chaired by Dr. Miha Vindis, Professor, Texas State University & Director of the Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program.

The third panel was Good Governance Worldwide (GGW) Panel on Governance, Public Policy & Politics in Africa featured a panel of distinguished scholars that discussed the past, present and future of good governance in Africa. The panel was co-chaired by Texas State University professor, Dr. Sheriff Folami Folarin and Dr. Peter Haruna Professor, Social Sciences, Texas A&M International University,

The final event of the Symposium was a business meeting of the Officers and Board Members of ASPA’s Section for Public Management Practice and the Editorial Board members of Good Governance Worldwide https://goodgovernanceworldwide.org/ The group discussed the next steps for ASPA’s Section for Public Management Practice and its Good Governance Worldwide Journal/Website.

For additional information about the activities of ASPA’s Section for Public Management Practice please contact Dr. Howard Balanoff, Section Chair at hb02@txstate.edu

Click here for a copy of the Symposium Schedule including presentation topics, names & emails of speakers.

How to Build and Maintain an International Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program for Your University/Organization

Symposium, Delivered in Marrakesh, Morocco on January 23 & 24, 2025

 By: Howard Balanoff, Professor & Director, Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service

On Thursday, January 23 and Friday 24, 2024, Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service in cooperation with the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) conducted a 2-day Symposium which featured speakers on the topics of How to Build and Maintain an International Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program for Your University/Organization. Additional topics of the Symposium was The Value Provided by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and the value of The Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC) in Connecting Universities Around the World with Universities in Texas.

Participants were also provided with a series of knowledge sessions via Zoom by Dustin Haisler, President of e.Republic, Alan Bojorquez, Attorney and President of the Bojorquez Law Firm and Dr. Jeremi Suri, Professor at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Dustin Haisler’s presentation was entitled, Artificial Intelligence (AI) How to bring AI into your organization and use it to add value to your professional development and education programs. Alan Bojorquez presentation focused on Meeting the Challenges of Open Government: Building Ethics & Values into the Public and Non-Profit Sectors and Dr. Jeremi Suri spoke on Strategic Planning and Thinking in the Public Sector. The knowledge presentations were recorded and the links to the recordings are available for viewing on the Morocco Symposium program.

The Symposium was conducted on the campus of Manara University in Marrakesh, Morocco. About 25 participants (faculty, students and administrators) from Morocco universities and guests from Moroccan public sector organizations were in attendance.

The onsite organizers for the Symposium were Dr. Mohamed Makkaoui, Professor, National school of Management of Tangier, University, and Dr. Aziza Zemrani, Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Interdisciplinary Programs and Professor, Community Engagement and University Mohammed V, Public Finance Department, Morocco.

The Symposium was sponsored by Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service in cooperation with the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA)

For additional information about the Morocco Symposium and Texas State University’s Willaim P. Hobby Center for Public Service, please contact Dr. Howard Balanoff at hb02@txstate.edu and/or go to the Center’s website which is https://williamphobby.org/

Click here for an updated schedule of the speakers and topics (with the recording links) to some of the presentations delivered at the Symposium