Kendra Stewart, professor of political science and director of the College of Charleston’s Joseph P. Riley Jr. Center for Livable Communities, has been elected president of the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA), the leading interdisciplinary public service organization that advances the art, science, teaching and practice of public and nonprofit administration.

Stewart previously served as the vice president of the organization and was recognized with its Donald C. Stone Service to ASPA Award in 2016. She also co-edited the ASPA series book, The Practice of Government Public Relations.

Stewart has spent her career working both in government and academia, and in her current position at the College of Charleston – where she previously served as the director of the Master of Public Administration program – she has the opportunity to do both, in addition to assisting nonprofits. She serves on a variety of nonprofit boards and has recently been elected into the National Academy of Public Administration. Stewart regularly conducts political analysis for a variety of print, radio and television media, including Good Morning America, NPR, BBC, Fox News Channel, the Associated Press and The New Yorker.

The ASPA also recently recognized Michaela Abbott, staff assistant in the Office of the Board of Trustees, as a member of the 2020 class of ASPA Founders’ Fellows. The ASPA Founders’ Fellows program recognizes outstanding students and new professionals in the field of public service and public administration.


Featured image: Kendra Stewart with former Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. (Photo by Mike Ledford)