2025 Graduations

Texas CPM Program Graduates 51 at the Texas State Capitol on December 11, 2025

By Sue Breland

The Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program held its graduation ceremony on Friday, December 11, 2025, in the Capitol Auditorium at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas. A reception for graduates and their guests followed in the Legislative Conference Room of the Capitol Extension. This ceremony also marked an important milestone, as it included the inaugural cohort from the Texas Association of Regional Councils (TARC).

Dr. Miha Vindis, Director of the Texas CPM Program, welcomed the graduates and their guests and introduced Mr. James Earp to deliver the graduation address. Mr. Earp is the City Manager of Hutto, Texas, the Co-Director of the CPM Program in Arlington, Texas, and a proud CPM alumnus. He celebrated the 30-year anniversary of the CPM program in Texas and paid tribute to Dr. Howard and Marilyn Balanoff as the driving force behind its inception and success.

In his remarks, Mr. Earp noted that “the public will often never know what you may have prevented. They will not see the crisis that did not escalate, the project that stayed on track, the dispute that was resolved before it became a headline. The best days in local government are the days that no one notices because everything worked the way it was supposed to.” The Texas CPM Program is grateful to Mr. Earp for the many ways he continues to contribute to our program and its students every year.

You can view James’ full graduate address at https://txst.yuja.com/v/CPMGraduationJamesEarp20251211

The Texas CPM Program is a consortium of Texas Universities and other governmental organizations that operate under the umbrella of Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service. It has been in continuous service since 1995 and across its 30-year history has graduated over 2,800 public and not-for-profit sector employees from the program.

The universities and organizations that participated in the December 11, 2025, CPM Graduation are:

Stephen F. Austin University, Rick Herzog, CPM Director

Alma Delia Lozano
Ryan Riley
Tracy Rosalies

Texas Association of Regional Councils, Rachel Scarborough, CPM Director

Cheree Biggs
Brandy Brannon
Eric M. Bridges
Shanna Burke
David A. Cleveland
Kelly Criswell
Kimberly Lile Dowty
Rick Guerrero
Annette Gutierrez
Alma Bella Montes
Angela Moya-Karnei
Uryan Nelson
Aaron Sturgeon
Veronica Aleman Toomey

Texas State University Round Rock/San Marcos, Miha Vindis & Sue Breland, CPM Directors

Jim Devlin
David Ellis
Markus Holt
Armelle Ouedraogo
Scott Smith
Monica Veliz
Jarrod Wise

Texas CPM Program Graduates 105 at the Texas State Capitol on June 9, 2025

By Sue Breland

The Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program Graduation was held on Monday June 9, 2025, in the Capitol Auditorium at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas. A reception for the graduates and their guests was held in the Legislative Conference Room of the Capitol Extension.

Dr. Miha Vindis, Director of the Texas CPM Program welcomed the graduates and their guests and introduced Mr. Alan Bojorquez to deliver the graduation address. Alan is the Principal Attorney at the Bojorquez Law Firm with decades of service to municipal governments in Texas. He is also the author of the Texas Municipal Law & Procedure Manual and co-founder of City Hall Essentials, a consulting and training company. Alan has also been our most engaged instructor in the Texas CPM Program for over 21 years, teaching multiple courses across the state every year.

His message to graduates included 5 suggestions for career success: Expertise (master 1 or 2 things so you can contribute), Awareness (grasp the overall picture), Devotion (trust comes from knowing you care), Passon (bring positive energy to everyone around you) and Connection (invest in relationships – it pays dividends). You can view the graduate address at https://txst.yuja.com/v/txcpmgraduationspeaker20250609

The Texas CPM Program is a consortium of Texas Universities that operates under the umbrella of Texas State University’s William P. Hobby Center for Public Service. It has been in continuous service since 1995 and across its 30-year history has graduated over 2,800 public and not-for-profit sector employees from the program.

Click here for our Graduation program.

The universities that participated in the June 9, 2025, CPM Graduation are:

Texas State University Round Rock/San Marcos, Miha Vindis & Sue Breland, CPM Directors

Allyson Iiams
Mackenzie Rothrock
Nathaniel Glaiser
Vicky Steffanic

University of Texas Rio-Grande Valley, John Milford, CPM Director

Sergio Alanis
Octavio Alonzo
Marissa Berrera
Crissy Cantu
Dalia Casanova
Rosie Cavazos
Miguel Cavazos
Blanca Dávila
Rebekah Marie de la Fuente
Eric Flores
Kaveh Forghanparast
Eva Lizette Garcia
Roland Gomez
Juan Gonzalez
Brigette A. Graybill
Juan Carlos Gutierrez, TRMC
Jeff Hart
Shannon Harvill
Esteban Herrera
Roberto Daniel Hinojosa
Anita Limon
Tanya Lopez
Tanya Lugo
Luis Marin
Kimberly A. Mendoza
Olga Lidia Moya
Samuel E. Nunez
Jose J. Peña
Bartolo Perez III
Perla Crystal Pitones
Daniel Ramirez
Rolando J Ramirez Jr
Francisco Ramirez
Armando Rangel
Ramiro Robledo
Ruben Rosales
Luis Alexandro Saucedo
Linda Ufland
Fernando Alberto Valente
Juan Manuel Vallejo
Luis Vargas
Priscilla Vargas
Sergio Vasquez
Salvador Villalpando, CPA

*John Milford retires this year after 17 years of service to the Texas CPM Program, directing our UTRVG program in the valley. We express our sincere appreciation for his many years of dedication to the program and to public administrators in the valley.