Student Chapter of ICMA hosts alumni panel on State and Local Government
I love it when alumni come back to campus. Which is great, as it happens almost every week! Today was particularly fun, however, as we got to see several alumni, from across 4 decades return to serve on a panel discussing Current Issues in Local Government. Co-hosted by the student chapter of ICMA (International City/County Management Association) and Maxwell’s Office of Career Development, four alumni spoke passionately about their careers, their time at Maxwell and the challenges and the rewards of working in state and local government. The panelists included:
Robert J. O’Neill, Jr, Executive Director of ICMA (1974 MPA)
Ann Rooney, Deputy County Executive for Human Services (1986 MPA)
Wally Bobkiewicz, City Manager, Evanston, IL (1989 MPA) and
Kelly Gavin Cupit, Township Administrator for the Township of Green Brook, NJ (2000 MPA)
Members of the Student ICMA Chapter also had dinner last night with our alumni guests. Many of these students also attended the annual ICMA Conference earlier this fall in Charlotte, as ICMA celebrated their 100th year! A fund to help support student travel for the conference was established many years ago by Wally Bobkiewicz and is supported annually by him and many other Maxwell alumni working in this sector.
Bios of our panelists follow:
Robert J. O’Neill, Jr., is executive director of ICMA, the International City/County Management Association. Prior to joining ICMA in November 2002, O’Neill served as president of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) from January 2000 to November 2002. From May through September of 2001, O’Neill was on temporary assignment at the Office of Management and Budget as counselor to the director and deputy director on management issues.Between 1997 and 2000, O’Neill served as Fairfax County executive, where he oversaw Virginia’s largest general-purpose local government and is credited with developing a series of successful community and commercial revitalization strategies. O’Neill’s “reinvention” of the government of Hampton, Virginia, where he served as city manager between 1984 and 1997, was widely recognized by organizations such as the National League of Cities and Public Technology, Inc.In the early 80s, O’Neill served as director of management consulting Services for the Virginia offices of Coopers & Lybrand, one of the former “big six” accounting firms. Previously he served as regional manager for the Management Improvement Corporation of America, providing financial analysis and organizational restructuring support for cities and counties throughout Virginia.O’Neill graduated summa cum laude from Old Dominion University with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1973. He received his master’s in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in 1974, and in 2001, he received the institution’s highest honor, The Spirit of Public Service award. He is a 1984 graduate of The Executive Program of the Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia. In 1996 he was named recipient of the prestigious National Public Service Award presented by NAPA and the American Society for Public Administration. O’Neill was elected as a NAPA Academy Fellow in 1997 and was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws from Old Dominion University in 2000.
Ann Rooney currently serves as the Deputy County Executive for Human Services for Onondaga County. In this role, she is responsible for directing, advising, and coordinating policy for managers and employees in the following departments: Adult & Long Term Care Services, Children and Family Services, Corrections, Emergency Communications (911), Emergency Management, Health, Probation, and Social Services: Economic Security.Prior to joining Onondaga County government, Ann worked for the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington, D.C., in the Defense Logistics Agency and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Upon returning home to Syracuse, she continued her career in public service as a Program Analyst and Budget Director for the City of Syracuse, and Chief Financial Officer for the local Salvation Army. Additionally, Ann has been a franchisee of Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels for nearly 25 years and currently operates three locations.Ann graduated from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University with a master’s degree in Public Administration.
Wally Bobkiewicz is the City Manager of Evanston, Illinois a community of 75,000 residents located just north of Chicago. Mr. Bobkiewicz serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the City with an annual budget of $250 million and 1,000 employees. Before beginning his current position in August, 2009, Mr. Bobkiewicz served seven years as City Manager of Santa Paula, California and four and a half years as Assistant City Manager in Novato, California. Prior to that, Bobkiewicz served the City of Long Beach, California for nine years in various capacities including Telecommunications Manager, Assistant to the City Manager and as an Administrative Analyst in the Public Works and Police Departments. Wally earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. Wally’s professional activities include service on the International City/County Management Association’s (ICMA) International Committee. He is a past Board Member of both the California Chapter of ICMA (Cal-ICMA) and the League of California Cities City Manager’s Department. Wally is also a past president of the Municipal Management Assistants of Southern California (MMASC) In addition to these professional activities, Wally is Past President of the Syracuse University Alumni Association, a former member of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees and has served on the Boards of United Way of Ventura County and the Rotary Club of Santa Paula. Bobkiewicz and his wife Patrice Frey reside in Evanston.
Kelly Cupit is the Township Administrator for the Township of Green Brook, New Jersey. She received her B.A. in Communication Studies from The College of New Jersey (’99) and her M.P.A. from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University before beginning her career in local government in New Jersey. In the 15 years since leaving Maxwell, Kelly has served in a number of local governments, starting out in government purchasing and human resources. In addition to serving as the Township Administrator, Kelly is also a Registered Municipal Clerk and a Qualified Purchasing Agent, both state licensed positions. Kelly is an active member of the New Jersey Municipal Management Association and served as a member of the executive board for 8 years and as President of the Association in 2011. In addition to her busy professional life, she is married with three children and most recently completed her first half-marathon.
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