Awards

Kenneth K. Henning Award The concept of a professional excellence award was first proposed by the Academy in the late 1980’s and was subsequently named in honor of Kenneth K. Henning, whose vision of a quality management development program tailored to the needs of state government resulted in the design and implementation of the Certified Public Manager® concept and the establishment of the Georgia Certified Public Manager® Program, the American Academy of Certified Public Managers®  and the Certified Public Manager® consortium.  The vision and leadership displayed by Mr. Henning remain to this day embodied in both the American Academy and the Certified Public Manager® Programs across the country.  His dedication and belief in improving and strengthening public service remains a legacy that the Academy is proud to honor annually with the presentation of the Henning Award.

George C. Askew Award The Askew Award is named after the first CPM, George C. Askew, who was the first name called in the first CPM graduation ceremony, held in Georgia in 1983.  Recipients of this award are CPM graduates whose projects were documented by their CPM programs as exceptional, often benchmarks, that utilized management practices which exemplify the philosophy of AACPM. The Askew award is presented to one project from each program, selected by that program as the outstanding project for the award year.  Each recipient is presented a medallion of honor from AACPM, engraved with the wording “For the utilization of management practices exemplifying the philosophy of the American Academy of Certified Public Managers® in the completion of an exceptional curriculum project.”  The Askew Awards Committee has representatives from AACPM and the National Certified Public Manager® Consortium.

Fran L. Wilkinson Scholarship This memorial scholarship is affectionately named after Fran L. Wilkinson, a leader in the CPM program at the state and national levels. Fran served as President of the Georgia Society in 1983 and chair of the National CPM Consortium in 1987.  Fran passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in 1990, and the Academy voted in 1994 to name this annual scholarship in her memory as a token of remembrance, affection and esteem. Up to two $750 scholarships per year can be awarded to Academy members for educational pursuits. ( 2015 Wilkinson Scholarship Application Form )

AACPM Leadership Award The Academy created the President’s Award on May 22, 1999, to allow the President of the Academy to acknowledge and honor service to the Academy by an individual which the President considers to have been exceptional or to have contributed significantly to the good of the Academy.  In 2013, due to the affiliation with ASPA and the renaming of the officer positions to Chair, the Board of Directors voted to rename this award as the AACPM Leadership Award.  CPMEF Lemons Scholarship CPMEF established this scholarship program to serve the needs of CPM students currently enrolled in a CPM program, and CPM graduates seeking to attend continuing education from sponsored by a CPM program who are not receiving agency support. The Scholarship is named after Jack Lemons who was and instructor and administrator of the North Carolina CPM program, one of the seven founding State Societies of AACPM. Jack went on to become the administrator of the CPM Consortium for many years and supported the growth of the national program to over 35 participating states. The Foundation celebrates this legacy to North Carolina and the nation by providing awards annually to deserving students who plan a career in public service.