The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) has selected Miami-Dade County Deputy Mayor Alina T. Hudak as a recipient of the 2012 National Public Service Award.
Established in 1983, the National Public Service Awards honor individuals whose accomplishments are models of public service within and outside the work environment. The program recognizes individuals who exhibit the highest standards of excellence, dedication and accomplishment over a sustained period of time and who are creative and skilled career managers at all levels of public service.
“Alina is a proven leader. Her knowledge of government operations and our community, as well as her philanthropic and volunteer work, are beyond compare,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “She is truly deserving of this honor and we are very proud of her accomplishments.”
The award will be presented during ASPA’s annual conference in Las Vegas on Mar. 5. The conference brings together government and nonprofit professionals, scholars, students and citizen groups to learn what is happening in various areas and obtain skills that they can implement in their communities, states and countries.
This year’s conference theme, “Redefining Public Service Through Civic Engagement,” will be a central focus for more than 400 public service experts who will be on hand to address concerns encountered in the work place and offer creative solutions.
Hudak learned Miami-Dade County from the ground up, beginning her career with the county in 1984 as a management trainee. Upon completion of this program, she was selected to serve as the county manager’s liaison with the South Florida Employment and Training Consortium and became the executive assistant to the assistant county manager.
In 1993, she was the first Hispanic woman ever appointed as assistant county manager and in 1996 was appointed director of the General Services Administration, one of the county’s largest and most complex operational functions, then composed of seven divisions and more than 800 employees.
In 1998 she returned to the County Manager’s Office as an assistant county manager where she led an extensive procurement reform effort that culminated in the creation of the Department of Procurement Management.
Her responsibilities have included oversight of the nationally acclaimed police and fire rescue departments, the county’s first stand-alone Animal Services Department and an Elections Department that completely has reinvented its systems twice, while creating unprecedented voter confidence and convenience. She also has managed the county’s intensified oversight of the Jackson Health System.
In 2011, she was the first woman to serve as county manager, and later that same year she was appointed deputy mayor.
