SPA Director Elected President of National Organization
March 31, 2023
She’s a Rosenthal endowed professor, author, consultant and scholar. Now, UNM School of Public Administration (SPA) Director Patria de Lancer Julnes is taking on the title of President of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA).
The top professional association for public service chose Julnes to take the reins for the next two years. She will also chair the ASPA National Council, and lead its council members, as the organization’s leading body.
She will be responsible for oversight of ASPA’s 10,000 members, a $1.3 million budget and the organization’s mission and educational policy.
“It will be my privilege to lead ASPA for the next two years and work with our membership to find solutions to the seemingly intractable problems we confront today,” Julnes said. “Our membership is large and brilliant, and ASPA has a staff deeply committed to public service values.”
Julnes took the helm at ASPA’s 2023 Annual Conference, with over 1,200 public servants in attendance in Washington D.C.
“It is an honor to have been elected and take the oath to serve as president of ASPA. As a young person from the Dominican Republic, it never occurred to me that one day I would come to play a role in developing theory and supporting the practice of a field that has a monumental impact on the lives of so many people. Public administration is at the center of solutions,” she said.
It’s an achievement Interim Dean of College of Arts & Sciences Janie Chermak does not take lightly.
“The College of Arts and Sciences, and I personally, congratulate Patria de Lancer Julnes on becoming the President of the ASPA. Patria has devoted her career to improve outcomes and serve the public interest through Public Administration. I know she will bring the same energy and enthusiasm to her role as President of the ASPA as she does to advancing the SPA, the College of Arts and Sciences, and UNM,” Chermak said.
Julnes is no stranger to making strides in ASPA. She has also earned ASPA’s Donald C. Stone Service Award, and the Julia J. Henderson International Service Award from ASPA's Section for Women in Public Administration.
“We can harness ASPA’s resources to build resilient governance, and a resilient public administration, so we can develop more resilient communities that can withstand personal, natural, and human-made shocks and bounce back,” Julnes said.
Learn more about the role UNM’s current and future public servants play across the U.S. at the School of Public Administration.
Credit: UNM Newsroom
