News Room

News Release

	Contact:
May 13, 2008	Mark S. Cox, APR Director of Public Communications 382-6241 (WK)
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For immediate release	Blair Barbieri Public Communications Coordinator 382-6241 (WK)

CHESAPEAKE — Nicole M. Clark, Assistant Director of the City of Chesapeake Department of Human Resources, has been honored with the George Robert House, Jr., Award for Outstanding Service by the Hampton Roads Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

Clark began her career in public service as a Human Resources Specialist with the City of Chesapeake eight years ago. During that time, she has been able to apply and adapt principles learned from her private sector experience to help foster change in the field of public administration. She was promoted to Assistant Director in February.

She served as the catalyst for several improvement initiatives including establishing the HR practitioner/department relationships; starting Chesapeake’s Leadership Development Initiative; and establishing a culture of professional development within the department by encouraging staff to seek a broader understanding of the fundamentals of Human Resources, and obtaining professional certifications in the Human Resource field. 

Clark served on the Executive Board for the Young Leader’s Society of the United Way of South Hampton Roads, working to encourage up and coming professionals to include philanthropic activity as a part of their professional development, and most recently served as the City of Chesapeake’s Annual Campaign Coordinator.  She has facilitated workshops on career exploration and job preparedness skills for teens through the Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority, provided information to business students on career advancement and salary negotiations at Tidewater Community College, and served as a panel member speaking to young minority women at the University of Virginia. She has also been a featured reporter on WCTV-48, Chesapeake’s news channel, covering local elections and reporting on topics of interest.

She currently serves as the president of the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Conference of Minority Public Administrators, a section of American Society for Public Administration, working to ensure there is an active line of communication between the two local chapters.

The George Robert House, Jr., Award for Outstanding Service is awarded to a Hampton Roads Public Administrator who is 40 years old or younger and best exemplifies the criteria set forth for distinguished service in public administration, including:

• Record of outstanding performance in public service.

• Unusual leadership, creativity, integrity, and response to challenge.

• Dedication to democratic ideals.

• Sensitivity to the need to adapt government to changing problems.

• Commitment to professionalism and development of useful skills.

The award is named after George Robert House, Jr. who served as City Manager of Bedford, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk and Portsmouth, in addition to two managerial posts in North Carolina. In a May/June 1990 Virginia Review article entitled, "Statesmanship, Leadership, Mentorship: The Bob House Era of Excellence," Mr. House's contributions were well documented. He was tragically killed in an airplane crash in 1982, but his influence continues to persist through the numerous public administrators he mentored.

The award was formally bestowed during a luncheon on May 8, 2008, held at the Constant Center at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va.