GREENFIELD — When the National Academy of Public Administration and Local Gov 250 celebrated their 250 Public Service Champions during a ceremony in Philadelphia on May 12, a familiar Franklin County name was on the list of honorees.
Linda Dunlavy, executive director of Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG), was one of five recipients from Massachusetts and the only one from the western part of the state. Recipients come from nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
“It was quite an exciting honor,” Dunlavy said, expressing her gratitude for the recognition. “I never expected to get an award along with [Boston Mayor] Michelle Wu.”
The 250 Public Service Champions is a one-time award that is recognizing contributions to local government work, timed with the 250th anniversary of the United States. The honor celebrates officials working in mayor’s offices, public works departments, parks and recreation departments, public health, libraries and more.
“There are many leaders working in government across the country who are deserving of recognition, and this year marks an especially important time for our country to honor them,” James-Christian Blockwood, president and CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration, said in a statement. “These 250 Champions are truly special and make a difference in our everyday lives.”
The National Academy of Public Administration is a nonpartisan, nonprofit and congressionally chartered organization “that brings together public sector leaders to solve government’s biggest challenges,” according to Fellow Engagement Specialist Jillian McGuffey.
“We conduct studies, issue white papers and hold convenings that help America solve today’s problems and confront tomorrow’s issues,” she explained in an email.
Local Gov 250 is a national effort to honor and elevate the role of local government as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, according to its website.
To be eligible to be named a Public Service Champion, honorees must be currently working as a government employee or recently retired within the last 10 years, and exemplify the highest standards of service to the public. The recipients were nominated by peers in public administration.
In Dunlavy’s case, former state Rep. Natalie Blais nominated her in recognition of Dunlavy’s advocacy for rural communities in western Massachusetts.
Blais said she first met Dunlavy during her time working for Congressman John Olver, and the two have worked on several projects together over the years.
“There are so many firsts that have her fingerprints on them,” Blais said of Dunlavy. “She’ll be the first to say that she couldn’t have done it without her team at the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, which are extraordinary people, or without the towns and communities in Franklin County that she works with on a daily basis.”
Blais celebrated Dunlavy’s efforts to bring internet access, funding and train service to “underserved and unserved communities in the commonwealth.”
“I think of internet, I think of roadway miles and funding for our rural communities. I think of train service and the fact that we were able to get Amtrak service back on the Connecticut River line,” Blais said. “She was instrumental in all of these initiatives that have truly impacted people’s lives here in western Massachusetts.”
