NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Dr. Richard Herzog, Stephen F. Austin State University Texas Certified Public Manager Program Director, Master of Public Administration Program faculty, and professor of political science and public administration, recently received the 2018 Terrell Blodgett Academician of the Year Award from the Texas City Management Association.

According to the TCMA website, “The award is presented to an academician who has made a significant contribution to the formal education of students pursuing careers in local government.”

Herzog said he is honored to be the recipient of this award and said that the recognition from “the TCMA provides motivation to continue this work.”

Josh Selleck, city manager of Kilgore, nominated Herzog for the award. “As the Texas Certified Public Manager Program director at SFA, Herzog has promoted professional development of city officials,” Selleck said. “Just about every city with significant population in East Texas has a CPM from SFA.”

Herzog continually encourages strong relations between SFA’s CPM and MPA programs and city management professionals.

“In part, we rely on and coach seasoned city managers and department heads to help in the transmission of knowledge, skills and abilities,” Herzog said. “We always attempt to make our instruction relevant to public administration practice, and strong relations between academia and city management help this happen.”

Herzog’s award is one of four that will be presented, according to David J. Harris, TCMA president and city administrator of Balcones Heights. “These people represent the best in Texas local government leadership and are the result of a highly competitive review process by the TCMA Membership Committee,” Harris said.

The TCMA annual conference will be June 21-24, at Moody Gardens in Galveston.