Charldean Newell, Ph.D., regents professor emerita of public administration, University of North Texas, and honorary member of ICMA, passed away on Saturday, November 22, 2014.

Newell's many contributions to ICMA include editing The Effective Local Government Manager (ELGM) and Managing Local Government: Cases in Effectiveness; teaching ELGM for the Emerging Leaders Development Program since 2005 and for the Mid-Career Managers Institute since 2012, serving in one of two academic spots on the ICMA Voluntary Credentialing Advisory Board since the program’s inception in 2001, serving on the ICMA University Board of Regents 1994-1999, teaching the Essential Management Skills certificate program in 2000, writing for ICMA publications, and donating to the ICMA Fund for Professional Management.

Newell was instrumental in the development of the ICMA University and the ICMA Voluntary Credentialing Program. She provided key concepts and astutely articulated the role of continuous improvement, learning, and skill development in professional local government management. After the Voluntary Credentialing Program began accepting applications in 2001, Newell engaged in many thoughtful policy discussions to improve the program, and she tirelessly reviewed applications and annual reports for 13 years along with her local government colleagues on the Credentialing Advisory Board. Friends described her as “a force of nature” and a “great contributor with a lovely sense of humor.”

Newell graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Texas and received a Ph.D. in government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1968. In addition to working for the University of North Texas for 37 years until her retirement in 2002, Newell coauthored four books, wrote many journal articles and chapters in anthologies, served as chair of the standards committee for the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), and as an elected member of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA).

A memorial service will be held at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 1200 North Elm Street, Denton, Texas at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 6, 2014. Donations in honor of Charldean can be made to one of her favorite charities (Denton Humane Society, Our Daily Bread, or the Denton Christian Preschool); any charity that helps people or animals; or St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.

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“Charldean, as a charter member of the Credentialing Advisory Board, helped bring instant credibility to the Voluntary Credentialing Program. She always labored for the betterment of the profession, was widely respected, and was tough minded in the application of the highest standards. She will be sorely missed, both as a friend and a colleague.” G. Curtis Branscome, ICMA Credentialing Advisory Board Chair and former ICMA President

“Our dear, exemplary friend and leading professional, Charldean Newell, was my brilliantly and high performing student in the 1960s, and she has been a treasured colleague ever since. Like beloved children, students should outlive their old teachers.” Dr. Chester A. Newland, ICMA Credentialing Advisory Board Member and Duggan Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Public Administration, University of Southern California