Professor Jeremy Hall, center, accepts the Donato J. Pugliese Award from members of the Southeastern Conference for Public Administration’s awards committee. (Courtesy photo)
While attending the recent Southeastern Conference for Public Administration (SECoPA) conference, School of Public Administration professor Jeremy Hall was pleasantly surprised to learn he received the conference’s highest distinction in the Donato J. Pugliese Award.
The Donato J. Pugliese Award is given in honor of its namesake, the “Godfather” of SECoPA, to honor his memory and celebrate SECoPA members who embody Pugliese’s contributions and level of commitment to both the organization and the profession of public service.
“Receiving the award was humbling,” he says. “It is symbolic of the effort I have given to the organization over the years, and I was deeply honored to be recognized. No organization thrives by the work of any individual, and SECoPA, as an all-volunteer organization, has many members who would be equally deserving.”
Despite having served as the awards chair for this year’s conference, Hall was kept completely in the dark regarding his selection by his own committee — a feat that made the news even more of a surprise.
“The selection process is secretive — it's a part of the culture, and one of the little things that makes SECoPA special,” he says. “Other awards are announced in advance, but the only people who know the Pugliese award winner are the selection committee and whomever makes the plaques. I served as awards chair this year, so I was particularly impressed that they managed to keep the secret from me.”
Hall’s work with SECoPA began when he submitted his first paper in 2003 to be considered for the Morris W.H. "Bill" Collins Award for best doctoral student manuscript. He won the award that year.
“That was my very first academic conference to attend or present as a doctoral student at the University of Kentucky,” he says. "I think I have attended every SECoPA conference since. I served on the program committee and have chaired numerous committees for the organization over the years. I have been elected to serve on the SECoPA board for five two-year terms, and I also was elected to serve as president-elect in 2021, president in 2022 and past president in 2023.”
Along with the Bill Collins Award, Hall also received the organization’s Senator Peter Boorsma Award for International Exchange of Knowledge in Public Administration in 2023. The Donato J. Pugliese Award caps off his trifecta of SECoPA-sanctioned honors.
“The award feels like a bookend, because I started my experience with a student award and now have received this distinction,” he says. “I will continue giving of my time and effort to support the conference. It is a wonderful organization that combines academics and practitioners, and that supports master's and doctoral students as they begin their academic and professional journeys. It is the most collegial conference in the discipline, and I hope to make sure it stays that way.”