(Miami-Dade County, FL) -- Miami-Dade County Manager George Burgess received the Distinguished Public Service Practitioner Award from ASPA’s Southeast Conference on Public Administration (SECOPA) at their annual conference on September 26-29th in Nashville, Tennessee.   SECOPA is made up of the local chapters of the Southeast region of The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA).  
 
ASPA is a national organization comprised of public administrators and academics in the field of public administration.   ASPA is the leading public service organization that:  1) Advances the art, science, teaching, and practice of public and non-profit administration.  2) Promotes the value of joining and elevating the public service profession.  3) Builds bridges among all who pursue public purposes.  4)  Provides networking and professional development opportunities to those committed to public service values.  5) Achieves innovative solutions to the challenges of governance.

George Burgess has served as County Manager since 2003 and is being recognized for assisting the Mayor in the administration of one of the largest local governments in the Southeast United States with nearly 30,000 employees and a budget of more than $7 billion.  Burgess has provided leadership for a number of important community initiatives, including the opening of a new Performing Arts Center and winning voter approval of the $2.9 billion Building Better Communities Bond Program.  Burgess is also credited for bringing a corporate strategic business management style to County government and introduced a nationally recognized results-oriented model to guide the operations of more than 60 County departments and agencies that provide services to the County’s 2.4 million residents.

“As a public servant, George Burgess has been the driving force behind numerous signature projects and programs that have benefited the entire South Florida community.  He is admired by all for his integrity and dedication to public service,” says Terry Murphy, President of the South Florida Chapter of ASPA. “We commend our friends of SECOPA for choosing George Burgess as their Public Administrator of the Year.”

County Manager George Burgess and Steve Bobes, Chair of the Distinguished Public Services Practitioner Award Selection Committee.	Left to right Henry Sori, Executive Assistant to the County Manager, Maggie Fernandez, Assistant to the County Manager, County Manager George Burgess and Steve Bobes.
County Manager George Burgesss	County Manager George Burgess and Steve Bobes