PPAD students Ashlee T. Kelly (PhD; first in pic) and Sheryl Bacon (PhD; second in pic) attended the 2016 ASPA Annual Conference, held March 18-22 in Seattle, Washington. Also in attendance were faculty members Dr. L. Frances Liddell (third in pic), Dr. Gloria Billingsley (fourth in pic), and Professor Sy Murray (last in pic).
Ms. Ashlee T. Kelly was featured in the “Big Data and E-Governance in Action” conference track, presenting her research entitled “Open Data Means Effective Government: Assessing the Implementation of ‘What Works Cities’ in Jackson, Mississippi” to an international audience. Ashlee T. Kelly was also the 2016 recipient of the John A. Rohr Scholarship presented by the Section on Public Law and Administration (SPLA) at their 5th Annual Purple Carpet Affair on March 18, 2016. SPLA presents this award annually in honor of John A. Rohr who has contributed to the fields of public administration and political science, leading scholars and practitioners to a greater understanding of how law affects public administration and the responsibilities of public administrators in their jobs as implementers of the Constitution. Each year, the $500 scholarship enables one graduate student to pursue development of practice and research in the field of public administration and law while simultaneously attending American Society for Public Administration's annual conference for exposure to other practitioners, academics and students. Ashlee currently works as a policy analyst in the City Clerk's office as Policy Analyst to the Jackson City Council.
Ms. Sheryl Bacon (with team mates from Baylor University and Walden University) participated in the L. Frances P. Liddell Student Policy Debate, an event officially named in honor of Dr. Liddell and held as part of the Student and New Professionals Summit at the conference. Additionally, the students were able to meet with ASPA executives and Seattle city leaders personally, and make connections with fellow graduate students, academics, and field professionals from around the country. The Conference of Minority Public Administrators (COMPA) Board and membership voted in February 2016 to rename the COMPA Student Policy Debate in honor of Dr. Frances Liddell. ASPA voted to change the name earlier this year. Both organizations wanted to institutionalize Dr. Liddell's hard work since 2008 in bringing the debate to both venues. Sheryl did an excellent job integrating theory into her team's responses to very timely and controversial questions during the debate. Professor Liddell is currently the president of the ASPA Mississippi Chapter.
Professor Billingsley, 2015-2016 COMPA President, facilitated the COMPA Business Meeting. This was Dr. Billingsley last official duty as the COMPA President. The membership congratulated Dr. Billingsley on a successful 2016 COMPA Conference in Jackson, MS and also commended the Department of Public Policy and Administration, College of Public Service and Jackson State University for nearly $20,000 in cash and in-kind contributions as host of the 45th Annual Conference.
Further, Professor Murray also atteded the conference as an ex-ASPA President. Congratulations to all of you! The JSU PPAD is so well represented during the big event! For more information, check the PPAD facebook, https://www.facebook.com/jacksoncompa16/ .
