Best Practices from the 2024/2025 Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program
The GGW-CPM is an open access, peer reviewed, multidisciplinary symposium issue, which is committed to expanding the base of public policy and public administration issues in general with an emphasis on local government. The journal and the CPM symposia issue are aimed at advancing the cause of robust intellectual conversations through informed research, analyses and commentaries. This GGW-CPM issue, the second for 2025, was compiled from the outstanding capstone research papers prepared by participants in the 2024-2025 Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program in Arlington, Texas.
Introduction, Table of Contents & Contributors
SYMPOSIA ISSUE #8 VOLUME 2: SEPTEMBER 2025
Best Practices from the Texas Certified Public Management (CPM) Program
Article 1: Effective Response to Strangulation-Related Offenses
Billy J. Cordell
Billy Cordell is the Chief of Police, Burleson, Texas
Article 2: How the Shortage of Certified Public Accountants Impacts Local Governments
Brenda Hernandez
Brenda Hernandez is the Finance Director, City of Woodway, Texas
Article 3: Establishing a Strategic and Crisis Communications Plan for Municipal, County, and State Public Agencies
Christopher Cook
Christopher Cook is the Chief of Police, City of White Settlement, Texas
Article 4: The Evolving Role of Public Libraries in Mid-Sized Communities: A Case for Strategic Transformation
Daniel Bull
Daniel Bull is the Library Service Manager, Cataloging and Acquisitions, Arlington Public Library, City of Arlington, Texas
Article 5: Agency, Career Risk, and the Term Premium in Texas Public Fund Management
Erik J. Edstrom
Erik Edstrom is the Executive Director, Smith Co EMS Services District No. 2, Smith County, Texas
Article 6: The Why and How of Municipal Energy IGAs: Turning Insight into Action
Esther Williams
Esther Williams (Dr.) is the Director of Community Services & External Affairs, City of DeSoto, Texas
Article 7: Most Effective Social Media Practices and Techniques in Local Government
Hope Boyd
Hope Boyd is the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Cleburne, Texas
Article 8: Understanding Influences on Decision-Making in Advancing the Community’s Needs
Jocelyn Murphy
Jocelyn Murphy (AICP, CNU-A) is the Director of Planning, City of Irving, Texas
Article 9: How Direct Reuse Can Improve the Water Shortage Crisis in Texas
Leanne Wilson
Leanne Wilson is the Director of Public Works & Development, City of Aubrey, Texas
Article 10: The Effects of Fee Waiver Incentives for Home Building in Texas
Martin Zimmermann
Martin Zimmermann (AICP) is the Director of Development Services, City of Bryan, Texas
Article 11: A Park System in Transition: Navigating Buildout and Maturing Infrastructure in Plano, Texas
David J. Angeles
David J. Angeles is the Assistant Director of Parks, City of Plano, Texas
Article 12: How to Effectively Navigate the Collective Bargaining Process for Texas Municipalities
James W. Bramlett
James W. Bramlett is the Administrative Services Director, City of Texarkana, Texas
Article 13: Clear and Direct Personnel Policy Manual: A Step Towards Effective Employee Discipline
Elizabeth Kaylor
Elizabeth Kaylor is the Assistant City Attorney, City of Arlington, Texas
Howard Balanoff
Director of Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service
Dr. Howard R. Balanoff currently holds the Texas State University William P. Hobby Endowed Professorship for Public Service and currently serves as the Director of Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service.
He is the Editor in Chief of Good Governance Worldwide which is the official journal of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Section for Public Management Practice, the Chair of ASPA’s Section for Public Management Practice and the Co-Director of the Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program located in Arlington, Texas.
Dr. Sheriff F. Folarin
Professor of International Relations & Visiting
Scholar, Department of Political Science, Texas State University
Dr. Sheriff F. Folarin is a professor of international relations, with specialty in foreign policies and the soft power of African states, governance and politics in Africa, international and comparative public administration, foreign policies of the great powers, and Middle East politics. He was among others, a 2015 Carnegie ADFP and 2007 SUSI fellow, a member of the Citizen Diplomacy Research Group of America, Midwest Political Science Association, Nigerian Political Science Association, and American Society for Public Administration.
Dr. Folarin has been serving as a visiting professor in Texas State University and University of Rwanda, where he teaches asynchronously and in-person graduate classes respectively.
Lloyd Harrington
Webmaster
Lloyd has been the webmaster for the Texas State University Certified Public Manager (CPM) program since 2011, the Good Governance Worldwide (GGW) website since it’s inception in 2012, and the CENTEX Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) beginning in 2023. Lloyd also designed and is webmaster for the William P. Hobby Center for Public Service at Texas State University website and the Texas CPM Program website.
Associate Editors
Reagan Haik
Graduate Instructional Assistant, Department of Political Science, Texas State University
Ms. E. Reagan Haik is a public administration professional pursuing her Master of Public Administration degree in the Department of Political Science at Texas State University, where she also serves as a Graduate Instructional Assistant. She earned a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Sociology with a criminology concentration from Louisiana State University. She wrote an undergraduate honors thesis exploring in-group experiences on social media, achieving the highest College Honors and summa cum laude distinctions.
Reagan served as Youth Education Coordinator for the Baton Rouge Bar Foundation, which fostered her interest in nonprofit work, educational outreach, and justice. Her restorative justice work in the Teen Court program earned the 2024 LexisNexis Community and Educational Outreach Award from the National Association for Bar Professionals. Her research interests include educational, environmental, and juvenile justice policy. She hopes to pursue these interests on a deeper level at Texas State University.
Syeda Zareen Jahan
Ms. Syeda Zareen Jahan is a public administration professional currently pursuing her Master of Public Administration degree in the Department of Political Science at Texas State University, where she also serves as a Graduate Instructional Assistant. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Barishal, Bangladesh.
Zareen brings a strong academic foundation and a deep commitment to public service, shaped by her cross-cultural experiences and passion for community-focused governance. Her research interests include emergency management, human resource development, and equity in public service delivery. She is particularly inspired by initiatives that promote inclusive policy solutions and resilient institutional frameworks in both local and global contexts.
Mst. Thahsina Aktar Asha
Graduate Instructional Assistant, Department of Political Science, Texas State University
Mst. Thahsina Aktar Asha is a public administration professional pursuing her Master of Public Administration program in the Department of Political Science at Texas State University, where she also serves as a Graduate Instructional Assistant. She has a first degree in public administration from the University of Barishal, Bangladesh. She served as a research assistant at the Institute for Government Innovation, which inspired her interest in pushing the grounds of research in, and practice of good governance. Currently, she is a Research Assistant at the Meadows Center for Water and Environment, conducting critical research on rainwater harvesting requirements and compliance in Texas state buildings.
Asha’s diverse experience through academic, community, student leadership, and policy-focused roles has given her an advantage in understanding complex policy challenges. Her professional experience spans multiple sectors, including her CMO internship with the City of San Marcos where she supported community planning initiatives and policy development, and her editorial role with the Good Governance Worldwide publication. Her research interests encompass environmental policy, sustainable urban policy and planning, and community development, positioning her as an emerging leader committed to evidence-based solutions for sustainable governance.
Ishrat Jahan Ritu
Graduate Instructional Assistant, Department of Political Science, Texas State University
Ishrat Jahan Ritu is a public administration professional pursuing her Master of Public Administration degree in the Department of Political Science at Texas State University. She earned her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Daffodil International University, Bangladesh.
Her current research at The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment focuses on rainwater harvesting policy and sustainable water governance in Texas. With a background in law and a growing portfolio in environmental policy, Ishrat is passionate about public service, regulatory research, and advancing equitable, evidence-based policy solutions.