MANCHESTER, NH – A Wisconsin public sector manager was recognized by the American Academy of Certified Public Managers® (AACPM) this week for his career accomplishments, community service and contributions to state and national public manager organizations.
Ronald L. Buchholz, Deputy Administrator of the Division of Safety and Buildings in the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, was presented the Henning Award at the AACPM’s 17th Annual Professional Development Conference here on September 20th.
Receiving his Certified Public Manager® credential in 1995 after completing all CPM training offered by the University of Wisconsin- Madison, Department of Professional Development and Applied Studies, Buchholz has served as President of both the Wisconsin Society of Certified Public Managers® (WSCPM) and the American Academy. Prior to serving as AACPM President, he had served as a member or chair of five different AACPM Committees since 2000, in addition to serving as a Wisconsin delegate to the AACPM’s governing body, the House of Delegates, from 1998 and 2000 – 2003. Buchholz was elected as AACPM President-Elect in 2003.
At the state and national level, Buchholz has been instrumental in a number of capacities and committees. In Wisconsin, he has been a member of the State CPM Program Policy Board since 1998 and has served as its chair since 2002. He has served as WSCPM President, Historian and Executive Committee Board member, in addition to being recognized as the Wisconsin “Manager of the Year” in 1999. Buchholz also has served as the WSCPM Program Committee Chair. During his tenure with the AACPM, he has chaired the AACPM Conference Committee, Finance Committee, Elections Committee, Mentoring Committee and Bylaws and Ethics Committee. He also oversaw a comprehensive updating of the AACPM’s web page and the development of the Academy’s first electronic newsletter during his term as President in 2004.
Beyond his CPM certification, Buchholz is a registered architect in the State of Wisconsin and is the highest-ranking career Civil Service Manager in his agency, responsible for a division of 180 employees with a total annual operating budget of $15,000,000. Among the innovations he has brought to his position is the development and implementation of a total reorganization of a major state agency based upon function, not program. The effort reduced the number of bureaus from seven to three, flattened the organizational structure, eliminated one level of supervision and was completed with no layoffs or staff reduction.
During a 32-year career with the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, Buchholz’s professional service has witnessed a progression into positions of ever-increasing responsibilities and recognition. He has earned the State of Wisconsin’s Career Executive and Senior Manager designation, and has received “Exceptional Performance Awards” and “Performance Recognition Awards” throughout his career.
“Ron has proved to be a strong leader and real asset to my management team,” said Department of Commerce Secretary Mary P. Burke.
Buchholz earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1965, and has had a lifetime of activitiy and association with the Boy Scouts of America, including service as a Scout Leader at various levels from 1983 to the present. In 2000, he was presented with the Silver Beaver Award, which is the highest award presented by a Boy Scout Council to a volunteer leader. He has also served as a leader of the Saint Maria Goretti Parish Home/School Association in Madison, which supports a kindergarten through eighth grade parochial school with an enrollment of 200 students. He has also been a soccer coach and boy’s basketball coach.
Larry Totten of Kentucky, a past AACPM President and Chairman of the Henning Award Committee, reports “Ron was selected for this recognition from a strong field of nominees. His career accomplishments, community activities and efforts for both the Wisconsin CPM Society and the AACPM set a standard that his peers should strive to achieve. He truly represents the very best in Certified Public Managers®.”
Joining in Buchholz’s recognition, AACPM President Debbie Smith of Oklahoma emphasized Buchholz’s willingness to “go the extra mile to help his peers, his professional organization, his state society and the American Academy. Ron’s efforts have been a tremendous contribution to the Wisconsin Society and the American Academy, and have helped to strengthen the standing and prestige of the CPM public image.”
“This prestigious award is presented by the AACPM to an outstanding member who has made the greatest contribution to the certified public management program at the state and/or national level,” Totten said. “The vision and leadership displayed by Mr. Henning remain to this day embodied in the Certified Public Manager® programs in nearly 30 states and in the American Academy of Certified Public Managers®. ”
The Henning Award is named after Dr. Kenneth K. Henning of Athens, Georgia, whose vision of a quality management development program tailored to the needs of state and local government resulted in the design and implementation of the Certified Public Manager® concept. His hard work and dedication in the mid-1970’s in Georgia were responsible for the establishment of the Georgia Certified Public Manager® Program, the American Academy of Certified Public Managers®, and the movement of the Certified Public Manager® concept to other states.
Buchholz was one of seven AACPM fellows who were nominated for the 2005 AACPM Henning Award. The Henning Award was first presented by the AACPM in 1990. Buchholz is the 16th recipient of the annual recognition, and the first to be recognized from Wisconsin.
The AACPM is comprised of graduates from 22 recognized Certified Public Manager® Programs around the country and represents more than 1,700 public sector managers throughout state, county and local governments.
For Further Information:
Larry Totten, Chair
AACPM Henning Award Nominating Committee
(270) 343-2449; (270) 343-3111
