PSHRA® Names 2025 Awards of Excellence Winners

The Public Sector HR Association (PSHRA^®) is proud to announce the winners of its 2025 Awards of Excellence.

PSHRA^® is the home of HR professionals who have given tirelessly to the advancement of the public sector HR profession, and the Association annually recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of its members and the work they do on behalf of their agencies at the local, state and federal government level.

The President’s Award recognizes the current PSHRA president for leadership of the association and in the field of public sector HR. Andrea Cutler, IPMA-SCP, 2025 PSHRA^® President, is the recipient of the 2025 President’s Award. Andrea has more than 30 years of experience in public sector human resources, and has been with full service and contract cities in southern California. After retiring, Andrea moved to Las Vegas, where she continues to do consulting work. She has served on the PSHRA Executive Council, the Western Region Board, the Southern California, and Nevada chapter boards and in several international committees. She received the Honorary Lifetime Membership Award from PSHRA in 2019, the Muriel Morse Achievement from the Western Region in 2015, and the Gunther Dumalski Lifetime Membership award from the Southern California Chapter in 2016.

The City of Roseville, Calif. has received the 2025 Small Agency Award, presented annually to a PSHRA^® member agency of up to 1,999 employees. In 2025, the City of Roseville rolled out initiatives including Be Well COR(E), a citywide wellness initiative designed to foster a positive and thriving workplace environment by supporting the City’s approximately 1,300 full-time employees and 300-700 temporary employees in their efforts to improve their physical, mental and financial well-being.

The Medium Agency Award is presented to a PSHRA^® member agency with 2,000 to 9,999 members. DeKalb County Government (Ga.) is the recipient of this year’s Medium Agency Award. With roughly 6,500 employees across 44 departments, DeKalb County Government serves a population of more than 765,000 residents and 18,000 businesses. The County’s HR team’s recent achievements include helping to transform the way policy is developed, communicated and executed across the organization through its Policy Council program, an all-digital, data-informed platform that acts as a central mechanism for advancing HR’s role in shaping leadership, culture, talent, technology and communications countywide.

The PSHRA^® Large Agency Award is awarded to member agencies of 10,000 employees or more. The 2025 recipient of the Large Agency Award is the Louisiana State Civil Service. In 2025, the organization rolled out a number of initiatives designed to help it excel at providing public services above and beyond the norm. For example, the agency—which has more than 38,000 employees—introduced its skills-first Hiring Framework strategy, developed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of talent acquisition within state government.

The Chapter Award of Excellence recognizes a chapter that has significantly advanced and enhanced the public sector HR profession through innovative membership recruitment/retention strategies, excellent educational programs, and quality member communication. PSHRA’s Nevada Chapter is the winner of this year’s Chapter Award of Excellence. The Nevada Chapter has experienced significant growth in membership, including expansion into Northern Nevada. The Nevada Chapter has also prioritized the delivery of high-impact and future-focused content to HR professionals in the state, securing nationally recognized speakers for Chapter events and collaborating with partner organizations to offer broader resources and specialized content.

Cheryl Lewis Smith is the recipient of the 2025 Honorary Life Membership, given to recognize and honor those who have rendered distinguished service in advancing or upholding the purposes of the Association. Cheryl has served PSHRA in a variety of roles, most recently as Association President-elect in 2022, President in 2023 and Past President in 2024, as well as an at-large member of member of the Executive Council beginning in 2019. Cheryl has also served in various PSHRA committee roles through her participation on the PSHRA Fellowship/Scholarship Committee and the 2013-2015 PSHRA Nominating Committee.

In 2023, Cheryl was recognized with the PSHRA President’s Award, in honor of her commitment to leading the Association and its mission.

“PSHRA’s vision for public sector HR is to Make Public Sector Work Better^®,” said Cara Woodson Welch, PSHRA CEO. “The individuals and agencies receiving this year’s awards showcase the innovative practices and leadership of the public sector HR profession. PSHRA is proud to bestow its 2025 Awards of Excellence upon these deserving Association members.”