ASPA's 2023 Annual Conference

ASPA's Annual Conference is the premier event of the discipline, taking place each spring as it brings together a cross-section of public administration including public servants, nonprofit professionals, researchers, scholars, students and more. 

We were delighted to hold the 2022 Annual Conference in person this past spring and know our attendees were gratified to see their friends and colleagues after such a long pandemic quarantine. We also appreciate the desire to continue in person next year. That said, as organizations like ours continue to cope with the residual effects of the COVID pandemic—hotel jam-ups, extremely limited availability and demand-driven cost increases due to postponed events that we could not pass along to our attendees—we must host our 2023 conference online.

That said, know this: We will use technology to our fullest advantage, providing the opportunity for those who cannot typically attend in-person events to engage their peers in more than 200 sessions. And, we will be working to introduce in-person touch points with our members throughout 2023. And, of course, we will be back in person for the 2024 conference in Minneapolis.

Your participation means more this year than ever before. The threats to democratic norms in the United States and around the world are known to all of us. The time has come for public administration—as a profession—to shore up our resources, steer the conversation and provide avenues to reinforce democratic principles for current and future generations. Many voices must contribute to these efforts. Ours must be at the forefront.

ASPA’s 2023 Annual Conference will bring together practitioners, scholars and students from around the world to continue a century-old tradition of bridging research and practice to develop new frameworks, share best practices and showcase new scholarship.

Recent years have shown weakening democracies amidst a global pandemic that has taken millions of lives and increased inequalities that have existed for decades, if not centuries. Now, emerging global economic volatility has begun to affect nations through inflation and recessionary concerns. Issues considered problematic before are now crises; what were crises are now catastrophes. Notwithstanding noteworthy successes in saving lives from COVID-19, improving aging infrastructure and placing renewed emphasis on social justice and racial equity, we also have seen significant backsliding toward autocracy, oppression and ignorance. Even more, the debate between individual freedom and authority undercuts basic societal necessity and rational government structure. Now is the time to loudly and publicly proclaim our commitment to democratic norms and practices, not only in the interest of good governance but to ensure they continue in the near and long term. Public administration “done right” is a beautiful thing. We must celebrate it and showcase its successes.

ASPA’s Annual Conference is the ideal forum for the varied and diverse voices within the public administration community to share information, invite others to learn alongside us and advance excellence in public service. During plenary lectures, concurrent panels, symposia and other forums, we will plan for a more democratic and equitable future.

Seven tracks will shape the discourse, providing focused space to concentrate on current research and practice to help those in the field take the necessary steps for future successes. Click on the link below to view track details below to better understand the discussions we anticipate and submit your ideas for how you can contribute by the November 4, 2022 deadline.