The School of Government is proud to announce that Shannon H. Tufts has been selected as the faculty recipient of the 2021 Robert E. Bryan Public Service Award by the Carolina Center for Public Service. The Bryan Award recognizes individual students, faculty, staff, and organizations at UNC-Chapel Hill for extraordinary public service and engagement.

Tufts currently serves as the director of the School’s Center for Public Technology (CPT) and teaches and advises on public sector information systems as a faculty member at the School. She has been selected for this honor in recognition of this outstanding expertise and her masterful direction of the CPT—specifically regarding her work to assist public officials in responding to cyber threats across the state.

Tufts was presented the award on Thursday, April 15, in a virtual ceremony held by the Center for Public Service. In his opening remarks, UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said, “It’s important to recognize those who have gone above and beyond and taking the grand challenges of our time and seeking to make the world a better place.”

Tufts has spent the last two decades addressing the needs of information technology professionals working in local and state government. In her role as CPT director, she provides education and training for public sector leaders, managers, and staff professionals on the strategic use of technology and its application to the business of government. The Center also provides technical assistance on technology-related matters in the public sector, such as responding to cyberattacks on local governments, among other functions.

“Shannon represents the very best of the School and its work,” said School of Government Dean Mike Smith.

Early on in her career at the University, Tufts recognized that she could play an important role by steadily elevating the visibility and importance of information technology in the public sector. She designed and implemented the first local government Certified Government Chief Information Officers (CGCIO™) program in the United States and continues to run CGCIO™ programs for local government, state agency, K-12, and community college IT professionals across the United States. The various CGCIO™ programs have graduated hundreds of IT professionals across the country.

In her role as associate professor at the School, Tufts teaches courses on public sector information systems—including IT investment strategies, embracing technology, project management, and stakeholder engagement in technology-enabled government. Her students include public sector CIOs, court officials, newly elected legislators, and municipal and county administrators and officials, from clerks to attorneys to HR directors to property tax assessors. She also teaches as a core faculty member in the School’s Master of Public Administration program.

In 2019, Tufts was invited to join the NCLGISA IT Strike Team to help local government staff in the wake of natural disasters and cyberattacks. Now, she works in concert with the NC Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) Enterprise Security and Risk Management Office, the North Carolina National Guard’s cyber response team, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This past fall, Tufts discussed the passion she has for her work with The Well. “I absolutely love my job. I’ve been here for 20 years, and I would never want to go anywhere else,” she said. “I love our mission. I love that we serve our communities in this state. Every single day, the School of Government helps make the work of our public servants more meaningful and more informed.”

A North Carolina native, Tufts said she feels a special connection and sense of pride of the outcomes of her work.

“I think the mission of the University and really focusing on public service is unbelievably important and we should do as much as we can,” said Tufts in her award acceptance remarks. “Everything that we do in the field we bring back into the classroom…because the goal is, ultimately, to secure all of our North Carolinian information in the best possible way.”

The School extends its congratulations to Shannon Tufts for receiving this honor and its gratitude for her indelible work helping local governments become champions of the complex field of IT and elevating this important profession in communities across North Carolina and beyond.

School of Government faculty member Kimberly Nelson has been selected to edit State and Local Government Review (SLGR), the premier journal of scholarship on state and local governance. Along with co-editor Eric S. Zeemering, the UGA School of Public and International Affairs Master of Public Administration Director, Nelson will curate the journal and develop its distinctive voice in the areas of state and local government politics, policy, and management.

With the help of an expanded and diversified editorial board, Zeemering and Nelson plan to develop a robust article submission process for the journal and increase the population of peer reviewers. They also plan to increase outreach to professional and academic associations.

For Nelson, this is an invaluable opportunity to further serve the journal’s mission by bridging the gap between practice and policy.

“I’m very excited to take on this role, because SLGR fills such an important niche in public administration and government scholarship,” said Nelson. “State and local governments are closest to the people and improving these governments can lead to meaningful differences in the people’s everyday lives. I look forward to helping connect research with practice in a way that’s rarely seen in academia.”

Historically, the pages of the journal illuminate the challenges faced by state and local policy makers and public managers. Now, as scholars think about the policy and management challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the political polarization that strains policymaking at all levels of government, and ongoing pressure for innovation in our federal system, Dr. Zeemering hopes SLGR will be among the first journals they think of as a source for high-quality research.

“Particularly now, scholars need journals to operate efficiently and provide valuable feedback during the process of peer review,” said Zeemering. “We are dedicated to managing a professional and constructive peer review process. We believe authors, reviewers, and readers will be excited about the changes coming to the journal.”

As co-editors, Nelson and Zeemering will work in tandem toward this goal – strengthening a collaborative bond between their respective institutions.

“Eric and I will work as partners, restructuring the journal, promoting it, and determining the content,” she said. “We also see this as an opportunity to develop a partnership between two institutions that are leaders in state and local government education and scholarship.

Founded by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government of the University of Georgia, State and Local Government Review is the official journal of the Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management (SIAM) of the American Society for Public Administration. Peer-reviewed and published quarterly, the Review welcomes manuscripts that focus on state and local governments and those that explore the intergovernmental dimensions of public sector activity. The journal includes general interest research articles, perspectives essays from leaders in state and local government, field notes (including traditional research notes and examples of innovation from practitioners), and response essays. As they move forward with their planned changes, Nelson and Zeemering will enhance the journal as a venue for dialogue among scholars and public service professionals in state and local government. 

SLGRis published by SAGE Journals.

School of Government faculty member Carl Stenberg has been named an honorary member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The award is given to individuals outside the local government management profession for distinguished public service and contributions to the improvement of local government.

“Carl has provided a lifetime of service to our profession,” wrote one ICMA member who nominated Stenberg for the award. “He’s a rare academic who understands the theoretical foundations of management and leadership, but who is also steeped in the practical aspects, especially at the local government level.”

Individuals named honorary members have included, but are not limited to, academic leaders, elected officials, and civic leaders. Since the inception of the award in 1924, only 77 honorary memberships have been granted by ICMA. Stenberg is the third School of Government faculty member to earn the honor, joining Warren Jake Wicker and Don Hayman.

In his award acceptance video, Stenberg said, “ICMA’s commitment to public service, to professionalism, to ethics, to social equity and racial justice has really been critical to building community and to building capacity. I’m proud and I’m appreciative to be recognized for my contribution to improving and strengthening local government through an honorary membership.”

Stenberg is the James E. Holshouser Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Administration and Government at the School. He works closely with North Carolina’s city and county managers and liaises with the North Carolina City/County Managers Association (NCCCMA). He led the creation of the School’s Public Executive Leadership Academy (PELA)  and has written extensively in his areas of expertise, including serving as co-author of “Managing Local Government: An Essential Guide for Municipal and County Managers.” He has contributed to multiple ICMA textbooks and reports, acted as co-editor of “Managing Local Government Services: A Practical Guide,” and authored two Governmental Affairs and Policy Committee white papers for the organization.

“I’ve been engaged with ICMA for over 50 years in a variety of ways, including authoring research reports, books, and white papers; participating in the annual and regional conferences; and collaborating with the past three ICMA executive directors,” said Stenberg. “These activities and relationships have enriched my own professional development, and they’ve strengthened my teaching of current and future city and county managers.

Stenberg arrived at UNC in 2003 after serving as dean of the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts at the University of Baltimore, director of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia, and executive director of the Council of State Governments. He previously served as director of the UNC MPA program at the School from 2006 to 2011.

A fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and former president of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), he has also received the Donald C. Stone Practitioner and Academic Awards from ASPA for contributions to intergovernmental management.

Stenberg was named a 2020 honorary member alongside Phillip C. Harris, district recovery manager for Broward County Public Schools in Florida.