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.

DAPA Council meeting minutes from March 9, 2016, are now available on the Documents page of our website, here.

Kirsten Jones, second year MA student in the Urban Affairs and Public Policy program at the University of Delaware (UD) and a research assistant for the university’s Institute for Public Administration, presented her poster titled "Promoting Bike Planning Through Video" at the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C., on March 9, and will be presenting at the National American Planning Association conference in Phoenix, Arizona, in April. Her Newark bike track video provides an excellent example of how video can be used to influence planning and policy. 

Al Manganiello, from Catholic Charities of Wilmington, has a long career as a manager in two branches of state government, the nonprofit sector and with a Fortune 200 company. Mr. Manganiello spoke at the UD School of Public Policy & Administration’s Spring Contemporary Issues Seminar held on March 1. During the seminar, he shared his experiences and offered practical lessons he learned as a manager. He is also the author of the Award Winning Management Book, Ravioli Rules: A Manager’s Guide to Get the Workplace Cooking.

Receiving job announcements is just one of the many benefits of being a DAPA member. Current members receive job announcements periodically from Chris Kelly, Second Vice President. If you have an announcement that you would like to share with other DAPA members, please send it to Chris Kelly at [email protected]. 

DAPA Council meeting minutes from February 2, 2016, are now available on the Documents page of our website, here.