Professor Carl Stenberg Receives Legacy Award for Advancing Study of Federalism

UNC School of Government faculty member Carl Stenberg received the Legacy Award in March 2023 at the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Annual Conference. Given virtually by ASPA’s Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management (SIAM), this award celebrates public officials whose careers have “centered on advancing the study and practice of federalism in multiple roles.”

Legacy Award winners, an exclusive group, are recognized for making significant contributions to the academic literature on federalism, participating in a wide variety of assignments as part of SIAM, and taking active roles in the field—mentoring young public professionals in the infancy of their careers.

Stenberg has a long and established commitment to the Section, having joined in its founding and playing an instrumental role in advancing its mission to study, understand, and improve federal systems and other forms of intergovernmental relations.

His most recent Legacy Award adds to his collection of accolades from the Section—he has also won both of its Donald C. Stone Awards for practitioner and scholar contributions to the field.

As the nominator for Stenberg’s candidacy, School faculty member Kimberly L. Nelson was pleased to celebrate her colleague’s significant legacy in the field.

“Carl Stenberg has been a guiding force of ASPA’s (SIAM),” she said. “In 2014, he founded the Deil Wright Symposium at ASPA’s Annual Conference. The symposium continues today as the section’s main event, now heading into its 10th year. I can think of no other member who is more deserving of the Legacy Award.”

Willow S. Jacobson, director of the School’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, expressed similar esteem for Stenberg’s scholarship and its sustained positive impact within the public sphere.

“Carl is an example of a true engaged scholar, making a meaningful impact on the study and practice of public management,” she said. “His work in intergovernmental relations leaves a lasting legacy to students, the field of public administration, and communities across North Carolina.”

The James E. Holshouser Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Administration and Government, Stenberg joined the School’s faculty in 2003. He is past president of ASPA and served as director of the UNC MPA program at the School from 2006 to 2011. He teaches local government courses to public officials, including in the Public Executive Leadership Academy, and instructs MPA students. Stenberg holds a BA from Allegheny College and an MPA and Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Albany.

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