CenTex ASPA Public Service Recognition Week
May 5 – 9, 2008

Mike Renfro—Public Utility Commission of Texas

Public Administrator of the Year

Mike Renfro has been involved in public service for more than 30 years. He has served as a Captain Military Police in the United States Army, served as a former Texas Court of Criminal Appeals briefing attorney, and as a First Assistant County Attorney with Travis County before elected Travis County Judge in 1975. Some of the accomplishments Judge Renfro is credited for during his 11 years as County Judge include: establishing the STARFlight and First Responder Program; creating the Travis County Medical Examiners; and getting the County to purchase and restore Hamilton Pool.

After his judgeship and private practice, Mike worked as Deputy Executive Director at the Texas Workers' Compensation Commission from 1994 to 1999. In 2000, a year after the Texas Legislature restructured the electric market, Mike joined the Public Utility Commission of Texas' Customer Protection Division.

His division has been recognized for its innovation in customer complaints management by other state agencies as well as governments overseas. He has reduced a backlog of 38,264 complaints in 2002 to 800 complaints today. In 2002, it took CPD an average of 258 days to resolve complaints; whereas today, it takes an average of 18 days. Furthermore, his division has helped customers who filed complaints with the commission receive approximately 11.7 million dollars in refunds since July 2002.

Under his leadership, the PUCT has received recognition for its customer education program, the Texas Electric Choice campaign. The program has recieved two Telly awards in the public service annoucement category and a PR Week finalist for public sector campaign of the year. Finally, this week, the PUCT's Official Guide to Electric Choice won first place at the annual National Association of Government Communicators Blue Pen/Gold Screen Awards.

Senator Leticia Van de Putte

Elected Public Official

Senator Leticia Van de Putte, a pharmacist for more than 28 years, represents a large portion of San Antonio and Bexar County. A former-five term state representative, she is now serving her fourth term as a Texas State Senator for District 26.

In 2002 she became the Chair of the Senate Hispanic Caucus and is currently the Chair of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus. Nationally, Senator Van de Putte was nominated as co-chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, joining the ranks of Texas women, including Barbara Jordan and Ann Richards. She has been actively involved in the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), serving as President from 2006 to 2007. She is now serving as Chair of NCSL's Foundation for State Legislatures. Senator Van de Putte is a member of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, where she served as President from 2003 to 2005.

Senator Van de Putte currently serves as Chair of the Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee, and also is a member of the Senate Committees on Education, State Affairs and Business and Commerce.

Julia Cuba—GENaustin

Emerging Public Administration Professional of the Year

Ms. Cuba is the Executive Director of GENaustin. clubGEN is an after school program for middle school girls that employs high school girls to facilitate a new research-based curriculum proven to prevent teen girls from high risk behaviors which lead to juvenile delinquency and teen pregnancy

Ms. Cuba earned her BA in Women's Studies, Creative Writing, Literary Studies at Beloit College, in Wisconsin and her Master of Science in Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. Before GENaustin, Julia worked for nine years at the Girl Scouts - Lone Star Council running outreach programs that served high-risk girls, such as girls in shelters, teen parents, girls on probation, girls whose mothers were incarcerated, girls with emotional disorders and more. She also worked in Chicago at various grassroots women's agencies on equal employment opportunities, international women's issues fundraising, inner city high school mentor program, rape victim counseling, and a women's art gallery.

Dr. Kay Hofer

Public Administration Educator of the Year

Kay Hofer, Ph.D. is a Professor of Political Science at Texas State University-San Marcos. She earned her doctorate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has published numerous refereed articles and book chapters on Texas Politics, Budget Management, Tax Abatement, and Fiscal Policy. Her areas of expertise are public finance and health care policy. She has served as the Agency Director of the State Health Planning and Development Agency in South Dakota and the MPA Director at the University of South Dakota and Texas State University.

James W. McGrew Research Award (Capstone Category and Assignment Category)

Chance Sparks

Greening Affortable Housing: An Assessment of Housing under the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership Programs

Joy Schneider-Cowan

A Case Study of the San Marcos Main Street Program

Stephen Este

The Challengers of Accountability in the Human Services: Performance Management in the Adult Protective Services Program of Texas

Public Innovations Awards

TMPA SAFVIC
The Sexual Assault Family Violence Investigators Course (SAFVIC) and SAFVIC for Cybercrimes are designed to provide law enforcement officers around the state with the tools they need to effectively investigate and prevent sexual assault and family violence. SAFVIC is funded by a grant from the Criminal Justice Division, Office of the Governor and the National Violence Against Women Office. TMPA was formed in 1950 to promote professionalism in law enforcement through education and representation and has over 15,000 members throughout the State of Texas.

Child Care Licensing Weighted Standards Project
Partnering with a university, CCL is working to systematically use risk information as a part of its enforcement decision making process in regulated child care settings. This new system takes into account the relative risk associated with individual standard deficiencies, reduces variance in decision-making, facilitates consistent and equitable enforcement of standards, assists in determining appropriate and timely licensing actions consumer understanding of risk and provides a greater level of protection for the over one million children in daycare in Texas.

Service to Centex ASPA Award

Rueben Leslie

Mr. Leslie has modeled a commitment to public service and has long acted a constructively critical voice on issues facing public administrators, both locally and nationally.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Senator Chet Brooks

In his fifth decade of public service, former Senator Brooks served in the Texas House of Representatives on behalf of Harris County from 1962 to 1966. In 1967 he began serving the Texas Senate where he remained through 1992. During his tenure in the Senate, Brooks championed services for the most vulnerable Texans in a time of dynamic change for Texas. He continues this work for Texans today at the Health and Human Services Commission and is always willing to share his vast knowledge, expertise and warm sense of humor with Centex ASPA members.

2008 Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society

Jason Alexander, Cassandra Casillas, Dustin McLemore, Rosalinda Moore, Daniel Reed, and James Twine