Friends and Colleagues:
 
I am very pleased to be able to announce that Governor Patrick has recently signed into law a budget item establishing the Edward J. Collins Center on Public Management.  This center is named after Ed Collins, a remarkable public servant who served as the Town Manager of Saugus, the Head of the Division of Local Services at the Department of Revenue, and Chief Financial Officer for the City of Boston. Through it, we will deliver a variety of services to improve fiscal and operations management of cities and towns, as well as state agencies.  And I can now formally announce that I have selected Dr. Shelley Metzenbaum to serve as the Founding Director of the Collins Center.  Shelley's background is a perfect combination of government experience and academics. She has extensive experience working at the federal, state, and local levels of government and is a nationally recognized expert in public sector performance management. She joins us from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, where she was a Visiting Professor and Director of the Environmental Compliance Consortium.  Before that, Shelley served as Associate Administrator at the U.S. EPA for Regional Operations and State/Local Relations, Undersecretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Director of Capital Budgeting for Massachusetts, and Director of the City of Boston's Washington office. Her research on performance (evidence-based) management methods has helped governments around the world improve the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of their programs.  We are excited to have Shelley bring her expertise and energy to lead the Collins Center and help Massachusetts communities.
 
The Collins Center is a major step in cementing our position as leaders in both the education and practice of public administration.
 
Enjoy the rest of your summer.