President’s Message

By Stephen Mastro, CPM
SMastro@csum.edu

It is felt by many that 2009 will be a year of challenges to public entities everywhere. The fiscal challenges present great uncertainty for our agencies, our states, and our nation. As Certified Public Managers® (CPMs), you will play an important role in providing guidance to your agency and your employees about how to best continue critical public services. This is a time that will test your leadership skills. The Academy is a resource that gives you access to the tools you will need to meet these challenges head on.

As you consider how you will manage your professional development during this period, I urge you to attend Society and Academy functions. Maintain your membership in your Society, be actively engaged in your Society’s business, and take advantage of continuing education and social events. The opportunity to network with your fellow CPMs will help you manage your challenges. The same is true of Academy functions -- be involved in committee work and access the wealth of knowledge from hundreds of CPMs from agencies and disciplines all across the nation at the Academy’s annual conference in Orlando this September. The benefit you will receive from sharing with other CPMs is certainly worth the Academy’s annual membership fee of $20.

In 2009 I hope to encourage progress towards three objectives that I believe are linked to the Academy’s purpose statement.

1. Promote the concept of CPM, and membership of CPMs in Societies, and thus the Academy
2. Celebrate CPM heroes
3. Support the Academy in becoming the professional organization of the 21st Century for Public Managers

o pursue the first objective, we are exploring a partnership with the Consortium to produce a joint brochure that champions the success of CPM programs and their graduates. The brochure will highlight both programs and graduates who have positively impacted public services in many states and agencies. In a time when budget cuts will threaten many programs, we must be prepared to promote the positive return on investment of CPM programs. To promote membership in the Academy, we must promote membership in the Societies, primarily in attracting new graduates and retaining them for more than one year. Our Members Affairs Committee plans to develop a mentoring program for existing Societies that will facilitate sharing of best practices on topics such as new graduate recruitment and how to provide successful and meaningful education programs. The Mentoring Committee continues to be in contact with eight potential societies that may join the Academy over the next three to four years.

The objective to celebrate CPMs everywhere is a long-standing Academy goal. We do this well at the annual awards banquet with awards for Academy service, but every society has stars that have made outstanding contributions and we want more opportunities to encourage recognition of them. Help us identify and celebrate these everyday heroes with newsletter articles, e-mails, and society recognition programs.

For the Academy to be an organization for 21st Century managers, we must be willing to evolve and accept change. Many of our members will be eligible to retire from public service in the next 5 to10 years. We must evaluate our organization to ascertain whether what we offer is of value to the graduating CPMs. Our membership has begun to slip since 2005 when it peaked at over 1,700 members.

To assist in this objective two new committees have been formed. The Strategic Planning Committee, co-chaired by Mark Evans of Wisconsin and Charlene Cutting of New Hampshire, has begun working and will soon be seeking input from various stakeholder groups. Please participate when you are given an opportunity. If we want to grow by attracting new Societies to join the Academy, having a strategic plan that is relevant to new Societies and graduating Certified Public Managers® will be important.

At the 2008 HOD meeting, former AACPM president Dennis Magee made a statement that made us all think. To paraphrase the essence of his three-paragraph statement: “the organization started as a child 20 years ago and now we are heading into adulthood. Presently we view ourselves as Society members first and Academy members second. We are members of a national organization, and it is time to consider the advantage of being a member of a national professional organization first and foremost. We need to start thinking and considering what this paradigm shift could mean to our organization.”       

Magee’s statement resulted in the establishment of an ad hoc committee to investigate the ramifications of changing how Academy members think of themselves. This could result in a stronger national identity for CPMs while maintaining current, local Societies and/or Chapters. This is a discussion that needs to be held and objectively viewed. In the end, it may not change the Academy, but it is important that we have the discussion. We may find that change is desirable and can strengthen existing Societies, grow new Societies, and provide enhanced benefits to Academy members. There is no predetermined outcome for this discussion, and if the committee has recommendations, they will be openly discussed with the entire membership to facilitate consensus on any new course of action.

I hope to see all of you in Orlando in September!

© Copyright 2009, American Association of Certified Public Managers®