Rutgers SPAA Widely Represented at the 2025 New Jersey Municipal Management Association (NJMMA) Annual Awards

SPAA MPA student George Zapata received the Sheila Oliver Service Award, which recognizes students pursuing a career in public administration and demonstrating outstanding service and leadership, in honor of former NJ Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver's significant contributions to the residents of New Jersey. Zapata, a paralegal specialist for Hudson County and a First Ward Councilman for the town of Kearny, NJ, has credited SPAA with sharpening his leadership skills and expanding his ability to implement meaningful, forward-thinking policies that respond to his community’s needs with integrity and purpose. (Learn more about his experiences at SPAA: SPAA Spotlight: MPA Student George Zapata.)

Corey Gallo (MPA'96), administrator of the Borough of Bergenfield, NJ, received the 2025 Outstanding Manager Award, which recognizes municipal administrators and managers who have successfully implemented exemplary projects, programs, or a significant body of professional work that strengthens and advances local government operations. Gallo’s contributions to Bergenfield include the oversight and management of several major initiatives, including the construction of a new municipal building and the development of a state-of-the-art turf complex, which serves as an upgraded recreational facility for youth programs, athletics, and community events.

Marc Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow and assistant director of Bloustein Local who assists SPAA with curriculum development and instruction for the State’s Certified Public Manager Program, received the Dr. Thomas J. Davy Academic Achievement Award. The award recognizes outstanding educators in the general field of public administration, whether in or out of local government. Dr. Thomas J. Davy helped co-establish the Department of Public Administration at Rutgers University–Newark (RU-N) in 1975 with Dr. Drexel Godfrey, former assistant director of the CIA. The department flourished for more than three decades before its 2006 transformation into an independent public affairs and administration body – the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA). 2025 marks 50 years of public service excellence at RU-N with SPAA celebrating five decades of training public service leaders in Newark. Currently, Dr. Thomas J. Davy's son, Dr. James Davy, mayor of Pennington, NJ, is a distinguished practitioner in residence at SPAA.

Jillian Barrick (MPA'14) was presented with the Outgoing President Award, having finished her term as president of the NJMMA. Barrick has been the business administrator for Morristown, NJ since 2015 and has over 20 years of public sector experience. In 2024, she received the NJ ASPA Distinguished Public Service Award.