On Friday, November 14, the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) hosted a symposium at Texas State University’s Round Rock campus. The event was sponsored by TXST’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service and targeted professionals and students within ASPA, the Masters of Public Administration program, and the Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program. The symposium opened with remarks from various professionals including Dr. Howard Balanoff, Professor & Director, Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service, and Editor-in-Chief, Good Governance Worldwide; Dustin Haisler, Chief Innovation Officer, e.Republic; and Fred Bell, President, CENTEX Chapter of ASPA.
Dustin Haisler, Chief AI Officer & US GM for Darwin AI Former President of e.Republic and publisher of Government Technology, gave a presentation entitled “Artificial Intelligence (AI): Assessing its Impact on the Public Sector.” He discussed AI updates, methods of using AI to improve workforce output, and important safety information.
Harvey Kronberg, noted political analyst & editor of the Quorum Report gave spoke about “Texas Politics, Policy, and Government.” In it, he shared recent updates on the activities of the Texas government and legislature.
“Ten Texas Traits of Good Government & City Hall Essentials: A Resource for Local Government Managers” was presented by Alan Bojorquez, Attorney & Chief Executive Office of the Bojorquez Law Firm, and his wife Sheila Bojorquez, President & CEO of City Hall Essentials. The ten traits he discussed were respectfulness, responsiveness, effectiveness, transparency, competency, ethics, lawfulness, innovation, economics, and accountability.
Austin Ellington, Digital Communications Coordinator for the City of Round Rock, presented “How Public Sector Employees Can Successfully Utilize Social Media in their Organizations.” He discussed the importance of communication, technology, and service to the community.
During the symposium, the William P. Hobby Distinguished Service Award was presented to John R. Milford, retired faculty at UT Rio-Grande Valley and Director of the Texas CPM Program in the Lower Rio-Grande Valley. A career public servant, Milford has devoted decades to cities across the country. His saying, “don’t tell me no, tell me when,” served as an encouragement to everyone present.
For more information about this symposium, visit the webpage here or contact Dr. Howard Balanoff at hb02@txstate.edu.
