Lexi West has been selected as a 2017 Legislative Fellow through the state legislature's partnership with the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration. Through this program, Lexi will research policy, develop legislation, staff committee meetings, and provide general assistance to her assigned caucus. Her work will begin when the state legislature reconvenes in January 2017. 

Lexi is currently completing her Master of Public Administration degree during her fourth year at the University of Delaware, where she graduated in May 2016 with an Honors Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Political Science. After completing her work as a Legislative Researcher with UD's Office of Government Relations in the coming weeks, Lexi will travel to New Hampshire to work for Governor Maggie Hassan's campaign for Senate. Her past experience includes serving as a legislative intern, research assistant, teaching assistant, and holding leadership positions on campus.  

As a Delaware native, Lexi has a strong passion for improving the lives of Delaware citizens and serving their interests through the crafting of meaningful and effective policy. 

DAPA would like to congratulate all of our members who just graduated! 

Congratulations to the Class of 2016. Kudos on a job well done!

The Honorable Leo E. Strine, Jr., Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, gave a lecture on his experiences and lessons learned throughout his career in public service at the University of Delaware’s Gore Hall on the evening of Tuesday, May 3. A reception was held at The Speakeasy following Chief Justice Strine’s lecture.

Chief Justice Strine graduated summa cum laude from the University of Delaware before graduating from University of Pennsylvania Law School. He has held long-standing positions at Harvard Law School and served as the Chancellor of the Court of Chancery, as well as the Vice Chancellor prior. He was sworn in as Chief Justice on February 28, 2014, and in December 2014, Chief Justice Strine launched the Access to Justice Commission. The Access to Justice Commission is a task force aimed at helping low-to-moderate income people obtain legal services for civil and criminal cases, as well as a committee that works to decrease racial disparities in the criminal justice system in Delaware.     

DAPA Council meeting minutes from April 27, 2016, are now available on the Documents page of our website, here.

With assistance from Past-President Jonathan Justice, the DAPA Council recently reviewed and finalized revisions to our chapter's constitution. After the changes are reviewed by ASPA, members will have the opportunity to vote on whether or not to accept the recommended revisions.

Expect more information about the voting process in the coming weeks.

Katrina Cowart has been hired as the Development Associate/Grant Writer for Tech Impact's ITWorks technology workforce development program. She began at Tech Impact in February 2016. You can learn about Tech Impact's ITWorks program here.

Prior to joining Tech Impact, Katrina worked as a Legislative Assistant and Legislative Fellow for the Delaware State Senate, Majority Caucus. She performed policy research, developed legislation, and managed constituent relations. She also planned and managed committee and task force meetings.

Katrina is passionate about research and writing, specifically with the intent to promote positive change in the community and society as a whole. This makes her position as a Development Associate/Grant Writer rewarding, both personally and professionally. Katrina has her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Penn State Erie, The Behrend College and a Masters of Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware. Her experiences include positions as a public administration fellow, development intern, and legislative intern. She has also held leadership positions and has been a member of several student organizations throughout her academic career.

Join DAPA for Happy Hour and guest presentations during this summer’s Third Thursdays.

Third Thursdays will take place at the University of Delaware’s Speakeasy, 44 Kent Way, Newark, DE 19716, from 5-7 p.m.

RSVP for these free events by visiting our events page at www.dapanet.org/calendar.

Please hold the following dates for this summer’s Third Thursdays:

• Thursday, June 16, 2016
• Thursday, July 21, 2016
• Thursday, August 18, 2016 

Stephanie Patterson has been hired as the Special Events Coordinator for the Nemours Fund for Children's Health at Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children. You can find out more information about Nemours special events here.

Stephanie spent the last three years working as Fund Development Manager for Westside Family Healthcare. She worked on special events, donor relations, and grants management. In this next stage of her career, Stephanie would like to focus solely on larger signature events. 

Stephanie first collaborated with Nemours through the Kids Runway for Research event, which raises significant money for pediatric oncology research. Stephanie has her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Women’s Studies and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in Health Policy. In addition, she has worked as a legislative fellow, graduate intern, and program assistant for several organizations throughout her career.

ASPA’s 2016 Annual Conference was held in Seattle, Washington, and occurred over a five day period on March 18–22. The theme of the conference was New Traditions in Public Administration: Reflecting on Challenges, Harnessing Opportunities, which emphasized the challenges of public service through private sector delivery. Thanks to the leadership and guidance of the 2016 Conference Program Committee, more than 175 concurrent sessions, super panels, and networking opportunities were available to attendees. There were more than 1,800 attendees at this year’s conference.

Join us for a discussion with the Honorable Leo E. Strine, Jr., Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, followed by an informal networking opportunity. Both events will be held on the University of Delaware campus in Newark.

5:00 p.m. Discussion, Gore Hall room 103   

7:00 p.m. Networking, University of Delaware’s Speakeasy  

The event is free but registration is required. Visit our event's page for more details and registration.