Writer: Mallory Lawrence
The UGA Institute of Government recently honored 125 public service professionals for completing UGA’s Certified Public Manager (CPM) program. A ceremony celebrating the graduates was the final event in a two-day long conference that brought together current CPM students and alumni for professional development, leadership training and peer networking.
Offered in partnership between the Institute of Government at the University of Georgia and the National Consortium of Certified Public Managers, UGA’s CPM program is designed to improve the quality and efficiency of government agencies by developing the effectiveness and professionalism of managers.
The 300-hour certification program is one of the institute’s signature programs and includes 26 in-person training days, monthly cohort meetings and self-study. Graduates completed an individual capstone project addressing challenges their agencies face as well as a cohort-based service learning project aimed at giving back to their communities.
The graduation kicked off with opening remarks by Walter Barnard Hill Fellow Award recipient Walt McBride, who leads the institute’s Leadership Development unit, and Marci Campbell, lead instructor for the CPM program. Two-time United States presidential appointee Cassius F. Butts delivered a keynote on the importance of public service professionals in the lives of individuals and their communities.
During the presentation of her cohort’s service learning project, graduate LaMysa Foster Laney emphasized the breadth of the program. “Our cohort learned not just about leadership styles, but about ourselves,” she said. “Leadership is a process, and it is important for us as leaders to continue to educate ourselves and those around us.”
Click here for more information about the CPM program, applications and registration.
| Valerie Alexander-Burk | Makeda Figgins | Shari Kaplan | J. Simms |
| Kristin Alsobrook | Danielle Fluck | Mindy Kazemba | Anna Skipper |
| Tracy Anderson | Leititia Frazier | Ron Lampkin | Terria Smith |
| Edward Ash | Laura Gall | LaMysa Laney | Katasha Smith |
| Raymond Baez-Nieves | Cindy Givens | Landrell Latimore | Kippine Smith |
| Greg Bagley | Bobby Goodman | Keith Lee | Felicia Stackhouse |
| Tiffany Barclay | Chefrene Gory | Cheryl Leslie | Bruce Stanford |
| Helen Barrow | William Graham | Teresa Loggins | Whitman Stanford |
| Linda Black | Horace Green | Kimberly Lucas | Carleetha Talmadge |
| Erik Britt | Jacquelyn Green | Lauren McAuley | Coty Thigpen |
| Christopher Chachere | Cherysh Green-Caldwell | Morvarid Mehrtazh | Neil Thom |
| John Cheek | Swalena Griffin | Penelope Moceri | Michelle Thomas |
| Telka Christian | Joel Gunnells | Derek Mosley | Jeffrey Thorpe |
| Vincent Chukumah | Yuliya Hadzhieva | Latonza Mosley | Chanda Tidwell-Cason |
| Tonia Clark | Mark Hajdasz | Daniel Munoz | David Toulson |
| Joani Clemons | Celeste Harris | Toyshebia Napper | Tonya Tripp |
| William Clowers | Anita Harris | Gerald Pace | Derrick Turner |
| Lee Davis | Krystal Herrington | Rajesh Pagadala | Amy Urban |
| Chris Davis | Chris Hindman | Bimal Pathak | Reinaldo Valdes |
| Jackson DeFore | Asheia Hines | Walter Peoples | Andrea Waddy-Willis |
| Timothy Dickinson | Shimell Hinesman | Jose Perez | Liane Wagner |
| Marcia Divack | Ann Isaac | Jennifer Price | Edith Wallace |
| Rico Dollar | George Jenkins | Richard Randolph | Fred Watson |
| Takiyah Douse | Jakeiah Johnson | David Rast | Christopher White |
| Christian Drake | Brittany Johnson | Eva Retana | Brandon Williams |
| Samantha Dulac | J Michelle Jones | Valesia Robinson | Tersheor Williams |
| Joshua Edwards | Shariff Jones | Cynthia Robinson | Rebecca Williamson |
| Twany Edwards | Niki Jones | Brandon Rogers | Emily Woodmaster |
| Eric Edwards | Cindy Jones | Carlethia Rushin | Scakajawea Wright |
| Constance Elder | Jessica Jones | Sheryl Sealy | Aya Wynn |
| Joycelyn Evans | Brian Jones | Eileen Sears | Natalie Zellner |
| Dionne Ferrell | Joceline Kanaan | Marcus Seaton |
