Larry Totten Of Kentucky Receives Henning Award
LARRY TOTTEN of Kentucky, the recipient of the 2004 Henning Award, is flanked by nominees for the 2004 recognition following the annual AACPM Awards Banquet held in Topeka, Kansas. From left are Mary Wilson of Oklahoma, Ted Barber of Florida, Pat Ashford of Mississippi, Totten, Edward Burt, III of North Carolina, Julie Felice of Utah and Ronald Buchholz of Wisconsin.
A Kentucky public sector manager was recognized by the American Academy of Certified Public Managers (AACPM) this week for his career accomplishments, community service and contributions to state and national public manager organizations.
Larry P. Totten, Resort Park Manager of the Lake Cumberland State Park for the Kentucky Department of Parks, was presented the Henning Award at the AACPM's 16 th Annual Professional Development Conference here on June 22nd.
Receiving his Certified Public Manager credential in 1993 after completing all CPM training offered through the Kentucky Governmental Services Center, Totten has served as President of both the Kentucky Society of Certified Public Managers (KSCPM) and the American Academy. Prior to serving as AACPM President, he had served as the AACPM Treasurer and Board Member-at-Large for Conferences and Communications, in addition to serving as a Kentucky delegate to the AACPM's governing body, the House of Delegates, from 1995 - 1997.
Totten served as AACPM President-elect in 2002. Through his seven-year membership on the Board of Directors of the national organization, Totten has established the record for continuous service to the AACPM at the Board level.
In accepting the Henning Award, Totten said "I have come to realize the important personal element in my 29 years in state government and 10 years in the Academy was participation in the process. Participation is important to the growth of our Societies and the Academy but also, and more importantly, to the increased credibility of the certification to which each of us has devoted so much of our time to earn. We have a long way to go before the term "CPM" becomes synonymous with 'government professional'. It is only through our active participation in the process that we have a chance in making that happen."
At the state and national level, Totten has served in a number of committees. For the KSCPM, he has chaired the State CPM Advisory Board and Program Committee, and co-chaired the Inaugural State Society Conference in 1997. During his tenure with the AACPM, he has chaired the AACPM Conference Committee, Finance Committee, Elections Committee, Mentoring Committee and Bylaws and Ethics Committee. He has also edited a comprehensive updating of the AACPM Standard Operating Procedures and spearheaded a re-design of the Academy's web page in 2004.
Beyond his CPM certification, Totten earned a second professional certification in 1995 when the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association recognized him as a Certified Hotel Administrator. Eligibility requirements for the certification include a combination of education and experience, capped by a rigorous examination. Recertification through continuing education and experience is required every five years and Totten achieved this in 2000.
He is currently pursuing a third professional certification, Certified Tourism Professional, which is granted through a joint program of a regional university and the Kentucky Tourism Council.
During a 29-year career with the Kentucky Department of Parks, Totten's professional service has witnessed a progression into positions of ever-increasing responsibilities and recognition. He has earned the Department's Certificate of Merit three times, in addition to earning the department's Professional Development Certificate. Totten was the first person within the Department of Parks to earn the Certified Public Manager designation.
Totten is a member of local, regional, and state tourism committees. He is second in seniority among his peer group and his counsel is often sought on a wide range of department activities.
Thomas Patterson of Louisiana, a past AACPM President and Chairman of the Henning Award Committee, reports that the judging of the Henning nominees "was very difficult due to the high caliber of all nominations. Larry's record speaks for itself. He is clearly a most deserving nominee."
Joining in Totten's recognition, AACPM President Ronald Buchholz of Wisconsin emphasized Totten's willingness to "go the extra mile to help his peers, his professional organization, his state society and the American Academy. Larry's efforts have been a tremendous contribution to the Kentucky Society and the American Academy, and have helped to strengthen the standing and prestige of the CPM public image."
"This prestigious award is presented by the AACPM to an outstanding member who has made the greatest contribution to the certified public management program at the state and/or national level," Patterson said. "The vision and leadership displayed by Mr. Henning remain to this day embodied in the Certified Public Manager programs in nearly twenty states and in the American Academy of Certified Public Managers®."
The Henning Award is named after Dr. Kenneth K. Henning of Athens, Georgia, whose vision of a quality management development program tailored to the needs of state and local government resulted in the design and implementation of the Certified Public Manager® concept. His hard work and dedication in the mid-1970's in Georgia were responsible for the establishment of the Georgia Certified Public Manager® Program, the American Academy of Certified Public Managers®, and the movement of the Certified Public Manager® concept to other states.
"It is an exercise in ego to put together the Henning application - I did this, I did that, " Totten said. "But it is an exercise in humility to actually get one with your name on it."
Totten was one of eight AACPM fellows who were nominated for the 2004 AACPM Henning Award. The Henning Award was first awarded by the AACPM in 1990. Totten is the 15 th recipient of the annual recognition, and the first to be recognized from Kentucky.
Other Henning Award nominees included Pat C. Ashford of Mississippi, Ted Barber of Florida, Ronald Buchholz of Wisconsin, Edward R. Burt, III of North Carolina, Julie R. Felice of Utah, Kay Nidiffer Rogers of South Carolina, and Mary Wilson of Oklahoma.
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