Dean Mark Welsh recently received the National Public Service Award from the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). The award is given each year to honor individuals who make outstanding contributions and whose accomplishments are models of public service inside and outside the work environment. Dean Welsh was honored alongside two other recipients.
The National Public Service Awards recognize contributions of public servant practitioners across all sectors of the government. Award recipients are individuals who have taken risks to achieve change, made a profound difference to improve service to the public, achieved savings in government operations, and contributed to the communities in which they live and work. Through his forty-year career in the Air Force and now as Dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service, Dean Welsh has upheld all these values.
“I was truly honored to receive this award,” said Dean Welsh. “The importance of service to others is highlighted daily at the Bush School and Texas A&M. The fact that an organization like ASPA, with public service firmly implanted in its DNA, would choose to recognize me in this way is doubly humbling.”
Recipients may currently have careers in academia or a nonprofit organization, but all recipients must have previously had a career as a public servant working for the government. In August 2012, Dean Welsh became the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and was responsible for the organization, training, and equipping of 664,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. He has carried his superb leadership skills to his current role at the Bush School.
The awards were presented during ASPA’s Annual Conference in Denver.
