Gerome Banks, a Maxwell School graduate student and program manager at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), has been honored with a 2026 National Public Service Award.

Presented jointly by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and the National Academy of Public Administration, the award recognizes individuals whose contributions exemplify outstanding public service. It will be presented at ASPA’s national conference in Hollywood, California, on March 23.

“This recognition is so deeply meaningful because my entire vocation and education have been built on a foundation of service to our public institutions—particularly the people who lead them,” says Banks. “Public service at its very core is about the stewardship of a precious responsibility entrusted to us by America’s people, ensuring that government works well for those it serves. To have that work recognized is incredibly humbling and motivating.”

Banks manages OPM’s aspiring senior executive leader development program, Leadership for an Efficient and Accountable Government, and previously led the office’s Organization Design & Development Strategic Consulting Program. He also serves as an adjunct instructor for the Public Sector HR Association Executive Leadership certificate program and as a reservist with the U.S. Army. He sits on the ASPA Section on Professional and Organizational Development board, chairs the professional development committee for the Senior Executives Association and volunteers with his local Rotary Club in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

At Maxwell, Banks is pursuing an online executive master of public administration—a 30-credit program designed for experienced public service professionals that can be completed in as few as 20 months.

“I was drawn to the Maxwell School because of its longstanding reputation as the premier institution for public administration,” he says. “As someone who has spent my career developing others and working to strengthen institutions, Maxwell embodies the kind of meaningful, rigorous environment that connects scholarship with real-world application.”

Banks says his goal at Maxwell is to deepen the theoretical and analytical frameworks behind his work. “I’m especially interested in strengthening my ability to analyze and improve policy and contribute to the broader field of public administration,” he adds.

He holds a doctor of education in organizational leadership from Concordia University Chicago, an MBA from New York Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in international economics from the American University of Paris.

In addition to receiving the award, Banks will speak at ASPA’s annual conference. He will be featured on a presidential panel on March 20, titled “The Future of the Workforce: Talent Development” and his Section on Professional and Organizational Development session, “Building Tomorrow's Talent: Resilient Federal Leadership Systems for Strong Executive Pipelines,” will be offered on March 21.

Several Maxwell community members have received the National Public Service Award in prior years, including:

• Wally Bobkiewicz ’89 M.P.A., city administrator of Issaquah, Washington
• Walter Broadnax ’75 Ph.D. (PA), Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Public Administration and International Affairs
• Sean O'Keefe ’78 M.P.A., University Professor Emeritus, Public Administration and International Affairs Department
• Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and former U.S. Rep. Donna E. Shalala ’70 M.S.Sc./’70 Ph.D. (SSc)/’87 Hon.
• Former Federal Reserve Chair Paul A. Volcker