Business College Presents Award for Achievement in Public Service
November 07, 2012
Mary Kay Horoszewski receives the College of Business and Public Administration Award for Achievement in Public Service from John Lombard, professor and chair of the Department of Urban Studies and Public Administration
Mary Kay Horoszewski, the first executive director of the Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation (VBCDC), stressed to an audience of Old Dominion University students, staff and faculty the value of service for society, and for personal growth.
Horoszewski delivered the Landmark Executive-in-Residence Lecture Tuesday, Nov. 6, in Constant Hall. It was held in conjunction with the College of Business and Public Administration's (CBPA) Public Service Week.
Horoszewski, who was presented the CBPA Award for Achievement in Public Service, spoke about her 38-year career in the public and nonprofit housing sectors.
VBCDC's mission is to create programs that serve the housing needs of low- and moderate-income families and individuals and to assist the city of Virginia Beach in revitalizing certain city neighborhoods. It offers homeownership programs for families with low to moderate incomes, affordable rental programs for low-income families and individuals, a transitional housing and supportive service program for homeless families and individuals, rental programs for people with disabilities, and housing counseling services.
Horoszewski's experience includes work as a community development planner, housing inspector and housing rehabilitation specialist. She is the co-chair of the Virginia Beach Housing Roundtable, past president of the Hampton Roads Housing Consortium and a former board member of the American Society for Public Administration.
She is also a member of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, and currently serves as secretary of Light Rail NOW Inc., a nonprofit corporation advocating for light rail extension to Virginia Beach.
Horoszewski is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and received an M.P.A. from Old ODU in 1998.
The CBPA Award for Achievement in Public Service was established in 2010 to recognize ODU alumni who exemplify the spirit of public service inherent in the mission of all public universities. The award is presented annually to a graduate who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to public service through his or her vocation and/or volunteerism and whose actions consistently reflect the values of public service.
The Landmark Executive-in-Residence Lecture is one of a week's worth of activities to engage the campus community in the idea of public service as not only a civic good, but also as an opportunity for a rewarding career.
Events and activities of Public Service Week are sponsored by the CBPA, the Department of Urban Studies and Public Administration, the Office of Community Engagement, the Center for Service and Civic Engagement, the Career Management Center, the Alumni Association, the Women's Center, ODU Athletics and the MPA Association.