Kay Nidiffer Rogers of South Carolina Receives the 2007 Henning Award

Kay Nidiffer Rogers receiving the 2007 Henning Award from Edward Burt.

By Edward R. Burt III, CPM
eburt@nc.rr.com

A retired South Carolina public sector manager was recognized by the American Academy of Certified Public Managers® (AACPM) for her career accomplishments, extensive community service activities, and contributions to state and national public manager organizations.

Kay Nidiffer Rogers, who retired in 2003 from the South Carolina Department of Social Services, was presented the Henning Award at the AACPM’s 19th Annual Conference in Madison, Wisconsin on September 11, 2007.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Rogers obtained a Certificate of Business Administration from Georgetown University and a Masters of Business Administration from Winthrop University. In addition to obtaining the Certified Public Manager® credential, she is a graduate of South Carolina’s Executive Institute.

Rogers has distinguished herself in senior management positions in domestic and international private organizations, public agencies, and academic institutions. She has served both federal and state governments.

For 12 years, Rogers served in Washington, DC and Southeast Asia as a senior executive in the U.S. Refugee Program at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of State and its agencies. In those positions, she developed policy and position papers for the White House and executive branch agencies; managed the provision of education and language training services, international movement to and resettlement in the United States of 196,000 Indochinese refugees and more than 80,000 Soviet Jewish refugees, and the airlifts of 30,000 Ethiopian Jewish refugees from the Sudan to Israel.

Rogers was given the Special Achievement Award for Sustained Superior Performance by the Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services in 1980. In 1985, she was recognized for her service when she received the Outstanding Humanitarian Service Award from the Government of the Philippines.

From 1990 to retirement in 2003, Rogers served in various positions with the State of South Carolina, first as a management consultant, then as a Division Director, and finally as chief of staff to the Deputy Director of the South Carolina Department of Social Services. In these positions, her functions included analyzing and developing work plans; organizing, managing, and evaluating staff and administrative processes; and managing systems planning and coordination functions for departmental reform initiatives and reorganizations.

External to government service, Rogers has served in a variety of leadership positions including Chief Administrative Officer and Treasurer for Appropriate Technology International, a nonprofit office of USAID in Washington, DC and in Nairobi, Kenya and as Chief Administrative Officer and Deputy Director of the National Foreign Language Center at the Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC.

Kay Rogers has found time to be very active in community service. While residing in Washington, DC, she was a member of The World Peace and Justice Commission and the Committee of Inquiry for the Episcopal Diocese and a director of the Friendship House, Inc, a community service agency in southeast Washington. In South Carolina, Kay has served her community in many capacities including Vice Chair of the state Osteoporosis Coalition, board member of Perfect Fit for Success, Inc., trustee of two Endowment Funds, and Co-Chair of a successful capital campaign to purchase new property and build new facilities for the Baptist Student Union at her alma mater.

Rogers was a founding director of the South Carolina CPM Society and assisted with the filing of the society’s charter with the Academy. She was inspirational in building the South Carolina Society by establishing state and federal tax-exempt status, incorporation, creation of the by-laws, and banking and business matters. In conjunction with another South Carolina society member, she wrote the society’s first strategic plan. She worked to draw senior State executives and public leaders to the society’s events – no small feat for a group that was brand new and had no track record. She worked to foster a special mentoring relationship with the North Carolina Society, including planning and participating in the first joint educational workshop.

In 2001, the South Carolina CPM Society recognized Kay Rogers’ achievements by giving her its highest award, the Harwood Award.

When South Carolina received its AACPM charter, Rogers immediately became actively involved in Academy affairs first as a Delegate and a member of the Publications, International, Conference, and Finance committees. After election as AACPM President-Elect, and before beginning formal service, she contributed to AACPM’s growth and development by authoring three initiatives in response to the AACPM Strategic Plan. These initiatives were adopted by the Board of Directors and launched as the AACPM Leadership Institute, the AACPM Mentoring and Orientation Program, and the AACPM Integrated Marketing and Resources Catalogue.

As Chair of the Finance Committee, Rogers was instrumental in guiding the AACPM Treasurer in changing over the Academy’s budgeting, auditing, and financial reporting to generally-accepted accounting principals for non-profit organizations. She was also instrumental in strengthening the conference committee roles, conference planning and reporting, and program quality activities for 2001-2008.

Throughout her service to the Academy, Kay Rogers has been a strong advocate for systematic professional development and succession planning. The Academy continues to be influenced by her initiatives begun a half dozen years ago. Kay always has her eye on the horizon and inspires others to reach beyond their perceived limitations.

After the first AACPM Annual Conference, held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1989, the Academy created the Henning Award to “recognize an active Academy Fellow, who, through their efforts has made the greatest contribution to the Academy, their society, or to the prestige of the CPM public image.” This award is named for Dr. Kenneth K. Henning of Athens, Georgia whose vision of quality public management development led to the establishment of the Certified Public Manager® credential.

This year, ten individuals were nominated by their respective societies for this award. Each of the nominees are outstanding in their own right, and it is appropriate that we recognize their contributions to the community, their society, and the Academy. A special page on the Academy web site is beinging established to highlight descriptions of each of the nominees.

Nominees for the 2007 Henning Award include Debra Bourbeau of New Hampshire, James R. Brown of Kentucky, Gail Gibson of Louisiana, Chris Grasso of Florida, Jeffrey Roemer of Wisconsin, Deborah Smith of Oklahoma, Sarah Smith of North Carolina, Stuart Smith of Utah and Patricia Writt of Kansas.

© Copyright 2007, American Association of Certified Public Managers®