Greetings. My name is Dr. RaJade M. Berry-James. I am the Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs.
At the Wilder School, under the leadership of Dr. Susan T. Gooden, we bring together academicians, practitioners, and engaged scholars to offer doctoral degrees, master’s degrees, and bachelor degrees to undergraduate and graduate students studying Public Policy and Administration, Public Administration, Criminal Justice, Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and Urban and Regional Studies and Planning. Together, we work to advance our vision for the Wilder School through theory and practice by using breakthrough approaches that bridge usable knowledge to address disparate outcomes in public service education and public service delivery. And, just like the NASPAA member and affiliated organizations, the Wilder School is committed to a public service mission similar to the caliber of our public policy, public affairs, and public administration schools that make up NASPAA, our network for advancing standards in public service education.
Collectively, and in many ways, our mission at NASPAA is to advance public service using approaches that advocate, teach, and inspire others to lead and manage by generating translational research that informs public policy and decision-making through evidence-based programs and practices used as the hallmark for framing collaboration and partnership in the public sphere.
I bring you greetings from NAPA, the National Academy of Public Administration Standing Panel on Social Equity in Governance. As you know, NAPA was chartered in 1967 by the United States Congress to solve our nation’s most challenging management problems. At NAPA, I am honored to serve as Chair of the Standing Panel on Social Equity in Governance and work with Academy fellows – faculty, elected leaders, and public service practitioners – to foster social equity in public affairs, public policy, and public administration.
Thank you for the platform to share three points.
First, I want to thank NASPAA for the opportunity to address my family and friends under one roof! For the very first time, my daughters – Myla and Maris – have had the chance to see NASPAA at work – through deliberate discussion and sometimes debate – as we host leaders in our field during this annual conference. I want to specifically thank – Dean Susan Gooden and Dean Trevor Brown – for the wonderful opportunity to learn more about our governance structures under their presidential leadership.
During President Susan Gooden’s administration, I was intrigued by the conference theme, The Time is Now: A Bold and Noble Public Service for All, where we shared exciting action plans to reboot and refresh our commitment to public service education. As we operate during our post-pandemic state, I was honored to co-chair the membership committee with Dr. Jocelyn Johnston (American University) and share recommendations supporting NASPAA’s global outreach and recruitment strategy. Our first approach to global expansion was to share our plans for advancing a global standard for public service education around the world.
In President Trevor Brown’s administration, I have watched in awe of governance at work – whereby our collective has developed strategic initiatives for developing plans for embracing diversity, advancing equity, driving inclusion, broadening accessibility, and championing just approaches to widening the highways and byways for access and opportunity in public service education. Like so many of you, I find myself on the global stage with other thought leaders who are interested in reform and committed to meaningful social change.
At the Pi Alpha Alpha luncheon, I was moved by the work of Dr. Amy Anton during the pandemic, who challenged us to find our people who walk in their truth – who are courageous and willing to convene around the hard conversations. I also want to thank the Pi Alpha Alpha International President, Dr. Richard Greggory Johnson, for bringing us together to honor scholarship and service in the field of public policy, public affairs, and public administration. Indeed doing the right thing, depends on where we stand and where we sit!
So my first point is to THANK YOU for pulling me into the fold of leadership and for showing me the way to champion change!
Second, I want to share my service with NASPAA. As you know, program evaluation is my superpower! About 10 years ago, 2011-12 NASPAA President Dr. Nadia Rubaii invited me to join the Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation – I accepted and was later appointed as Chair of the COPRA for two of my three service years. During my leadership as COPRA chair, we adopted the initial policy on COPRA’s Diversity Plan, I served with an amazing group of commissioners who worked tirelessly to launch a call to action that would embed principles of social equity into accreditation and reauthorize NASPAA as a global accreditor under the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The Diversity Equity Inclusion Task Force Report was written under the leadership of 2020-21 NASPAA President Laura Bloomberg and Dr. Brandi Blessett to include situating our DEI efforts across 5 strategic areas, in (1) Accreditation, (2) Teaching and Learning, (3) Delivering Diversity in NASPAA and our field, (4) Research and Recognition and (5) Annual Conference Planning. Like so many others in this very room, we worked on the recommendations included in the plan under duress – when a Triple Pandemic threatened our democracy. For some of our institutional members, the threat to democracy is real and we must redouble our efforts to ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE by deepening the pipeline for diverse students, faculty and staff, as well as thought leaders who work with practitioners as champions of justice – as you know, Advancing Equity Just Can’t Wait!
FINALLY, as President of NASPAA, I want to fully implement my “Leading by Convening” strategy by using our powerful network of networks to advance the global standard for public service education through institutional membership, program accreditation, and specialized training for faculty, practitioners, and students. As NASPAA President, I invite you to link with other scholars, researchers, practitioners, and students to advance equity in public affairs, public policy, and public administration, with a critical focus on digital transformation, democracy, governance, and human rights; and health, climate & energy.
In NASPAA 2024, our annual convening is dedicated to embracing diversity, advancing equity, and driving inclusion across multiple sectors and levels of government. Our “Leading by Convening” focuses on strengthening the NASPAA networks, sharing innovative ideas, convening crucial conversations, and building leadership communities.
Informing: Share information with others who care about advancing public service education; develop a repository of information that will be created to disseminate information to participants of the convening. Consider sharing the work of Knowledge Collaboratives as an example of research and practice opportunities to disseminate information in DEIA.
Networking: Specifically committing time to focus on strengthening the NASPAA network, domestically and internationally, by creating a relationship action plan to strengthen our NASPAA network at home and abroad.
Collaborating: Engage with international, national, regional, and local collaborators who foster social equity and work together to create sustainable efforts that dismantle unfair systems and disrupt unjust practices.
Transforming: Advance equity using a “partnership” approach which includes leading by convening, cross-stakeholder, shared leadership, and consensus-building.
Next year, when we come together in Washington DC, I am inviting you to share research perspectives on advancing equity for all through federal, state, and local government and broadening collaborations with the private sector and not-for-profit sector – with a keen eye on engagement and leadership, economic growth and strengthening our communities. Building relationships to identify best practices, breakthrough approaches, and meaningful social change connects our public service curriculum to our commitment to our communities and the NASPAA code of good practice for institutional members.
To Sum: Thank you for the honor of serving as 2023-24 President of NASPAA. Thank you for the opportunity to continue the work of our NASPAA leaders, and past presidents. And, thank you for embracing this leading by convening strategy to strengthen our network, broaden our reach, and showcase the hallmark of good governance. I am honored to be here today to embrace diversity, advance equity, drive inclusion, and broaden accessibility for our academic stakeholders, our citizens and in our communities. Together, we can and will close the palpable gap between research and praxis by strengthening the NASPAA network, locally and globally.