Four Valley public servants honored at JMU

Harrisonburg, Virginia – Tonight four Valley residents will be recognized at James Madison University for excellence in public service through their work in government, with nonprofit organizations, and as individuals putting community needs above their own.

As part of the national Public Service Recognition Week the JMU Master of Public Administration graduate program solicits nominations from the broader Shenandoah Valley region and selects individuals to honor for their exemplary public service work.

The following individuals are the 2022 Honorees:

Career Achievement in Public Service Award
Mr. C. Dwayne Jones, City of Waynesboro, Director, Department of Parks and Recreation
Mr. Jones is being recognized for almost 30 years of work with the City of Waynesboro, shepherding the development of public recreation areas along the gradually remediated South River, culminating in the opening of the Blue Ridge Tunnel.

Excellence in Public Service Award
Mr. Paul Helmuth, Administrative Officer, City of Harrisonburg Fire Department
Mr. Helmuth is honored for his service as the Dupty Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Harrisonburg, coordinating emergency service response to the COVID-19 pandemic from day one through today.

The John B. Noftsinger Alumni Award for Public Service Excellence
Mr. Evan Vass, County Administrator, Shenandoah County
Mr. Vass receives this honor in recognition of his dedicated service to every staff member working for and residents living and working in Shenandoah County. The spirit of his service matches the values promoted by the namesake of this Award.

Public Service Student Leadership Award
Ms. Caroline Fleury, JMU (‘20), Jubilee Climate Farm/New Community Project
As a JMU undergraduate student, Ms. Fleury spent four years strengthening the collaboration between JMU students and New Community Project to achieve sustainability and social justice goals while being instrumental in setting up the innovative Jubilee Climate Farm.

Award descriptions are found below and images available upon request.

Contact Dr. Rob Alexander at alexanrw@jmu.edu for ceremony information and Ginny Cramer, cramervm@jmu.edu, for general JMU press and media contact.

###

Career Achievement in Public Service
This award recognizes an individual who has advanced the public interest through active engagement with the community, strengthening social equity, demonstrating personal integrity, promoting ethical standards of performance and stewardship and advancing professional excellence in his/her career serving the Shenandoah Valley, broadly defined. The recipient may be either retired or active in the workforce.

Excellence in Public Service
This award recognizes a public or nonprofit sector professional in the Shenandoah Valley for a particular instance of exemplary public service. This example demonstrates an individual's overall impact toward advancing the public interest through active community engagement, commitment to social equity, and promoting ethical standards of performance and stewardship and advancing professional excellence.

The John B. Noftsinger Alumni Award for Public Service Excellence
This award recognizes a JMU alumnus/a in public service who shares the same ideals of public and community service as its namesake. The recipient is dedicated to active engagement with the community, strengthening social equity, demonstrating personal integrity, promoting ethical standards of performance and stewardship and advancing professional excellence in the Shenandoah Valley, must have earned either an undergraduate or graduate degree from the JMU Department of Political Science.

Public Service Student Leadership Award
This award recognizes a member of the James Madison University student body who has demonstrated commitment to serving the public interest through meaningful commitment to addressing a public need, advanced the public good by creating opportunities for campus and community to actively participate in civic life, and developed the public service leadership capacity of their peers.