Douglas C. Drake, associate director of Wayne State University's State Policy Center, has been selected by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), Michigan Capital Area Chapter, as a recipient of this year's newly established President's Award. The award recognizes individuals whose career spans more than one category of government service and includes major contributions in at least two award categories. Drake is being honored for his long career in state government and service in academia.

Drake's career in public service began in 1968 with the Michigan Department of the Treasury where he served in various capacities including director of the Office of Education and Infrastructure, in the Michigan Department of Management and Budget, and director of the Office of Revenue and Tax Analysis. He also worked for the Michigan Legislature for over a decade, serving as staff director for the House Taxation Committee and co-director of the House Majority Policy Staff.

He joined Wayne State as associate director of the State Policy Center (SPC) in 1998 after retiring from the State of Michigan. The SPC, a part of Wayne State University's College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs (CULMA), represents Wayne State's ongoing commitment to public service, and is a specific response to the legislative initiative advanced in the "Fiscal Year 1997-1998 Budget for Higher Education," which called upon Michigan's major research universities to step forward and make a major commitment to assist state government in the broad development of public policy.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.

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