What the National Forum for Black Public Administrators is All About.

About Us

The NFBPA is dedicated to providing the highest level of public service while advancing Black leadership in the community and the nation. We are ably represented by more than 300 jurisdictions throughout the country with over 40 local chapters and local membership of 50 members.

NFBPA is rapidly emerging as the nation’s premiere association of Black public leadership with a rapidly growing reputation for proudly strengthening the capacity of federal, state, and local government managers active in a range of multidisciplinary roles. The Boston Chapter has been active since 1991. The Boston Chapter holds regular meetings with guest speakers between September and May on topics related to professional and career development as well as community education and civic outreach.

We have participated in AIDS Walk Boston and raised over $4,000.00 for AIDS education and Outreach. We have participated in the Boston City Wide Dialogues Project focused on improving communication and relationships in Boston across Barriers of Race and Ethnicity and the Boston Metro Future Project with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. We encourage you to look at membership information and to consider becoming a member of NFBPA Boston by going to the Join Us page.

Chapter Officers

Michael Johnson

Michael P. Johnson, PhD. ,President, NFBPA Boston Chapter

Michael P. Johnson, PhD is the newly elected President of NFBPA Boston Chapter. Michael Johnson is the chairman of the Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Director of the PhD Program in Public Policy. He has been an active member of the NFBPA Boston and recently served as the Vice President. He has also played leadership roles in MassASPA and other professional organizations.

Karen Sampson Johnson

Interim Treasurer

Avid communicator, web and Internet evangelist with more than 10 years of online and offline marketing experience.

Arnold Sapenter

Arnold E. Sapenter, MBA. ,President Emeritus, NFBPA Boston Chapter

As a community leader and volunteer Arnold Sapenter has served over 12 years as President of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Boston Chapter and for 10 years as a member of the Board of Visitors for the Fenway Community Health Center. In addition, he is an active member of the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Board of Overseers and a member of the Employment and Training Systems Committee for the Boston Private Industry Council. Mr. Sapenter has served in Massachusetts state government since 1987. He is the past Director of Sustainability and Director of Diversity and Program Monitoring with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. He has served on many advisory boards and committees including the Advisory Committee for the Governor’s Diversity Initiative.

Goals

The Boston Chapter of NFBPA along with the other Chapters of NFBPA adopted public service

and "The Covenant With Black America" as the theme of its local chapter activities in the year 2010.

Our Local Mission will be realized through pursuit of the following goals:

To serve as an organization for linking public, private, non-profit and academic institutions into an effective network and promoting partnerships to support communications, information sharing, management innovation and professional development among minorities in public service.

To identify and groom younger emerging minority managers and professionals and provide relevant exposure to the challenges and rewards of public service careers.

To promote, strengthen and expand the roles of minorities in all aspects of public service and administration.

To promote, strengthen and expand greater access to educational and mentoring opportunities for minority young adults in the Greater Boston Area.

To promote greater education and increased access to health information and quality health care within the minority communities of the Greater Boston Area.

To engage and increase our local Boston Chapter membership through programs and networking activities.

Programs

NFBPA

National Organization Programs

Awards and Recognition Program

The National Forum for Black Public Administrators Boston Chapter Leadership in Public Service Award recognizes outstanding leadership and public service in government. The award serves to highlight the important work being done by Black Leadership in Boston as well as Massachusetts.

Executive Leadership Institute

A Professional Development Program for Senior-Level Public Servants. This program is one of the few training Institutes in the United States that offers a curriculum mixed with both academic based theory and practitioner based experience through partnerships with universities and cities throughout the country.

The Mentor Program

A Professional Development Program for entry/mid-career Public Servants. This unique program is a 8 month inititative designed to positively impact the professional development of emerging public administrators. It is dedicated to grooming Black administrators for the challenges of senior management positions in the public sector through fostering mentoring relationships that will increase career opportunities for the “next generation of Black public managers.”

Bridges Summer Internship Program