Announcing the 2024 SPAA Award Winners
The annual SPAA Awards recognize our graduating students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members who embody the values of the school and a commitment to public service.
Outstanding BA Student Award
Awarded for high achievement in both academic and co-curricular pursuits.
Carina Bontia (BA'24)
Graduate Coordinator
Office of Global Initiatives and Experiential Learning, Rutgers University–Newark
Brett Noll (BA'24)
Township Business Administrator
Hamilton Township, NJ
Outstanding MPA Student Award
Awarded for high achievement in both academic and co-curricular pursuits.
John Headley (EMPA'23)
Owner and President
Taylor Environmental Systems, LLC
Outstanding PhD Student Award
Awarded for high achievement in both academic and co-curricular pursuits.
Wan-ju Hung (PhD'24)
Incoming Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science, Texas Tech University
Yong-Chan Rhee (PhD'24)
Incoming Tenure-Track Assistant Professor
Criminology Department, DePaul University
E. Drexel Godfrey Award
Awarded for embodying the SPAA core values of high academic achievement, scholarship, and service to the community. (The award is named after E. Drexel Godfrey, former assistant director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who joined the faculty of Rutgers University–Newark in 1974 and established and directed the graduate program in public administration.)
Devin Ellison (MPA'24)
Intelligence Analyst
NJ Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness
SPAA Faculty Teaching Award
Awarded to a SPAA faculty member for significant contributions to our students’ intellectual lives through superior teaching practices.
Dr. Yahong Zhang
Associate Professor and Director of the Rutgers Institute on Anti-Corruption Studies (RIACS)
Rutgers SPAA
SPAA Faculty Service Award
Awarded to a SPAA faculty member for outstanding service to our students, faculty, and the greater SPAA community.
Dr. Lindsey McDougle
Associate Professor and Director of the PhD Program
Rutgers SPAA
Gail Daniels SPAA Staff Award
Awarded to recognize a SPAA staff member who displays outstanding service to students, faculty, and the greater SPAA community. (The award is named for Gail Daniels who served Rutgers SPAA as an administrative staff member for over 43 years within the school's office of student and academic services.)
Joshua Richey
Unit Computing and Data Specialist
Rutgers SPAA
Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Excellence
Awarded to SPAA alumni for outstanding contributions to the intellectual, theoretical, and institutional advancement of public administration.
Dr. Lauren Bock Mullins (PhD'12)
Assistant Professor
College of Staten Island, CUNY
Distinguished Alumni Award for Practitioner Excellence
Awarded to SPAA Alumni for outstanding achievement in public administration and public service through applied practice in the field.
Roberto Muniz (MPA'90)
President and CEO
Parker Health Group, Inc.
Sharon Stroye Community Engagement Award
Awarded for outstanding contributions to the community through time, actions, talents, and dedication. (The award is named for Sharon Stroye who served Rutgers SPAA students, alumni, and the greater Newark community in various roles throughout the school and Rutgers-Newark for over 20 years.)
Dr. Michael Dillard
Assistant Teaching Professor and Director of the BA Program
Rutgers SPAA
Dean's Public Service Award
Awarded for outstanding contributions to public service.
LaVida Stalsworth
Director and NJ CPM Program Director
Center for Learning and Improving Performance, New Jersey Civil Service Commission