Oklahoma's Debbie Smith, CPM
Selected as 2011 Henning Award Recipient

Salt Lake City, UT – An Oklahoma public sector manager has been recognized by the American Academy of Certified Public Managers® (AACPM) for her career accomplishments, community service, and contributions to state and national public manager organizations and the public manager profession as a whole.  Deborah J. Smith, CPM, Assistant Director of the Center for Public Management at the Oklahoma University College of Outreach, and a 40 year public servant, was presented the Henning Award at the AACPM’s 23rd annual conference awards banquet on October 11, 2011.

The first public manager from Oklahoma to be recognized with the Henning Award, Smith received her Certified Public Manager® credential in 1988 after completing all CPM training offered through the Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management.  Smith has served as President of both the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Managers® (OSCPM) and the American Academy.  Smith served as AACPM President-Elect in 2004, President in 2005 and Immediate Past President in 2006. 

Following her service as AACPM President, she served as AACPM Member at Large for Member Affairs in 2008 & 2009, and the day after receiving this award, was elected to a two-year term as AACPM Secretary for 2012 & 2013.  In addition Smith served as an Oklahoma delegate to AACPM’s governing body, the House of Delegates, six times, from 1997 – 2000, 2003 and 2011, in addition to her service to the House of Delegates as an AACPM Board of Directors member and as a preceding Past President, a total of 14 years of service. 

"Debbie was the unanimous choice of the selection committee," said Gregory Hyland, CPM of Arizona, 2010 AACPM Henning Award recipient and Chairman of the 2011 Henning Award Committee. "Her career accomplishments, community activities, and efforts for both the Oklahoma CPM Society and the American Academy, set a standard that her peers should strive to achieve.  She truly represents the very best in Certified Public Managers®." 

Smith’s Society credits her with much of their public and financial success.  “She is a quiet but strong leader in our society who leads by example and this motivates others to reach higher in their quests to improve the society and state government. Debbie will assist in any way, and while the list of job duties is impressive, it doesn't truly reflect her importance to the job or to the Oklahoma Society, which is the true mark of a leader. It is not just the accomplishments, but character that makes Debbie stand out, even through humility."

Among Smith’s career and CPM highlights are:

• For the past 3 years as Assistant Director, directs human resources; property management; customer service; budgeting, financial and contract administration for $25 million annually in products and services with a staff of 250.

• For the prior 7 years at OU, held responsibilities of Chief Technology Officer for the Department of Human Services and Assistant Director of the Data Services Division (DSD). Directed Information Technology strategies including hardware, software, security, network, and sourcing strategies for the 7,500 employee agency while directing the human resources; property management; customer service; budgeting, financial and contract administration for technology divisions $39 million annually in products and services and staff of 360 DSD employees.

• During 30 years of service to the State of Oklahoma, directed and managed various divisions, units, and sections of technology operations and daily work tasks which: supplied local file access and desktop support to every DHS employee statewide; produced and delivered agency approved benefits to citizens; maintained the infrastructure and legislatively (federal and state) program file systems; and remained federally and state compliant.

• Received the 2004 Governor’s Commendation of Excellence for “Creating an Information Technology Matrix Workforce”

• Championed executive level leadership programs for executive and middle management levels of government, including: Executive Leadership Performance, The Executive Leader, Strategic Leaders and Organization, Leading Transformation and Change, Leadership and Effective Communication, Leadership DHS, and Strategic Leadership for State Executives via The Governors Center at Duke University.

• Championed the delivery of Grantsmanship Proposal Training via the Grantsmanship Center, which resulted in the successful writing and receipt of a grant for her agency.

• Championed multiple technology training programs and rollouts for agency employees using both centralized and remote applications and sites.

• Academy board and committee service have included 5 years on the Board of Directors, 14 years as a Delegate, 14 years of Committee Chair service, 14 additional years of committee membership other than serving as chair, site manager for the AACPM LinkedIn site.

• Was the 2010 AACPM President’s Award recipient.

• Society board and committee service have included 10 years on the Board of Directors, 26 years of Committee Chair service, attendance at 21 OSCPM conferences, and is a charter member of the Oklahoma Society.

• Is an Oklahoma Certified Public Manager of the Year Award recipient.

• Founded  a silent auction and help build it to where it annually provides around $1,000 towards the OSCPM Christmas Angel Tree Program.

• In her community, Debbie annually contributes her time and resources to multiple causes, including but not limited to the Multiple Sclerosis Campaign, the Educational Public Television annual pledge telethon, United Way, Disabled Veterans Association, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the “Telephones for Soldiers” campaign, and various other arts, education and human services causes.

Smith was one of six AACPM fellows who were nominated for the 2011 AACPM Henning Award.  Other nominees included Becky Bryant of Arkansas, Ann Murray of Florida, Jennifer L. Woods of Kentucky, Stephen J. Mastro of North Carolina, and Mark Evans of Wisconsin. 

The Henning Award is named after Kenneth K. Henning of Athens, Ga., 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-1970s in Georgia was 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.  The Henning Award was first awarded by the AACPM in 1990.  Smith is the 22nd recipient of the annual recognition, and will serve as Chair of the Henning Award Committee in 2012, when the 23rd annual award will be presented in Columbia, South Carolina.

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