Walter Broadnax, Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, has been named the Elliot Richardson Lecturer for the 2012 American Society for Public Administration’s (ASPA) annual conference in March. Broadnax is a distinguished scholar, instructor, administrator and public policy expert who has served in senior- and executive-level positions in academia and in public service at local, state and federal levels. Throughout his career, he has shown remarkable ability to develop strategic solutions, implement meaningful organization-wide initiatives and achieve positive, sustainable results.
The ASPA conference, “Redefining Public Service through Civic Engagement,” will be held March 2-6 in Las Vegas. The event will unite government and nonprofit professionals, scholars, students and citizen groups to learn about various areas of civic engagement and obtain skills that can be implemented in communities, states and countries.
The National Academy of Public Administration and ASPA created the Elliot Richardson Lecture series in 2000 to honor Richardson’s commitment to public service and serve as a living monument to his life’s work. Richardson was a political appointee who held four cabinet positions. His contributions to public service epitomize the values of personal and professional ethics and integrity.
“I am humbled by the invitation to deliver the 2012 Elliot Richardson Lecture,” says Broadnax, who also served as president of ASPA from 2003-2004. “I truly looked up to Elliot Richardson. He was a person who believed in the United States of America and its potential.”
Broadnax and Richardson served together on the Truman Scholarship selection committee. “He believed that government could and did make a positive difference in people’s lives,” Broadnax says.
For the lecture, “Leading Change and Managing Self,” Broadnax plans to speak about how leaders are confronted with various ethical and moral challenges while navigating their organizations through turbulence that most often accompanies change.
ASPA was created in 1939 to represent all forums in the public service arena of the United States. The society’s first president was former Maxwell School Dean William E. Mosher. The organization’s diverse mission includes advancing the art, science, teaching and practice of public and nonprofit administration, promoting the value of joining and elevating the public service profession, providing networking and development opportunities and achieving innovative solutions to the challenges of governance.
