Blockwood replaces Terry Gerton, NAPA's longest-serving leader. Colors Hunter - Chasseur de Couleurs / Getty Images
The National Academy of Public Administration taps new leader
James-Christian B. Blockwood — a senior official at the Partnership for Public Service who has worked in the Government Accountability Office and the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs — will succeed outgoing president and CEO Terry Gerton.
The National Academy of Public Administration on Monday announced that it selected James-Christian B. Blockwood as its next president and chief executive officer.
Blockwood most recently served as executive vice president of the Partnership for Public Service, where he oversaw the nonpartisan good government group’s strategy and management. He will succeed Terry Gerton, who has been the president and CEO of the nonpartisan nonprofit since 2017, its longest-serving leader.
Gerton, only the second woman to lead NAPA full-time, announced in March that she would step down from the role in 2025.
“In our search for our next president and CEO, the board of the Academy was looking for a combination of broad and deep experience in public administration, outstanding leadership skills and a demonstrated commitment to the Academy’s unique role and mission,” said Academy Board Chair Janet A. Weiss in a statement. “Terry Gerton has been an extraordinary leader for the Academy and in James-Christian Blockwood we have identified a leader we believe will build on Terry’s legacy, the reputation of the Academy and our capacities for the future.”
Blockwood also has worked in the Government Accountability Office and the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs. He is an adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
Notably, Blockwood is a NAPA fellow. The Academy hosts 1,000 individuals from government, academia and the private sector who advise lawmakers and leaders on public administration.
“It was an honor to be elected a fellow of the Academy nearly ten years ago, and now a privilege to have the confidence of the board of directors to lead the Academy into its next era — especially with the Academy's 60th and our nation’s 250th anniversaries as milestones ahead,” Blockwood said in a statement. “I am proud to have the opportunity to work with our extraordinary fellows and the entire Academy staff.”
Congress chartered NAPA in 1967 to provide nonpartisan expertise to the legislative branch, federal agencies as well as state, local and international entities.
Blockwood’s term will begin on Jan. 1, 2025.