Brandywine professor emerita receives George Graham Service Award

Penn State Brandywine Professor Emerita Diane M. Disney received the 2014 George Graham Award for Exceptional Service from the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) in Washington D.C.

Disney accepted the award in November at NAPA's fall meeting. The award was named after NAPA's first president and recognizes sustained and extraordinary contributions toward making NAPA a stronger and more respected organization.

"Being involved with the Academy for nearly two decades has been an honor, and receiving the Graham Award is a truly capstone experience," Disney said. "I am humbled and grateful to the Fellows for this recognition."  

Disney was elected a NAPA Fellow in 1997 and has served as the NAPA board's chair, vice chair and secretary. She has also participated on project panels for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System, as well as numerous committees and special projects.

Disney joined the Penn State Brandywine faculty in 2009 after serving as Dean of Commonwealth College, at the time the University's largest college, and Chancellor of the School of Graduate Professional Studies at Penn State Great Valley.

Chartered by the U.S. Congress, NAPA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established to help governmental leaders build more effective, efficient and accountable organizations. Its nearly 800 Fellows (former cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, scholars, business executives and public administrators) have been elected for this demonstrated expertise. NAPA's work is directed primarily by the leadership of Congress and the executive branch when seeking help with complex problems requiring expertise and independence.