Walter Credle of Hampton, VA, Wins APHSA Outstanding Member Award

September 7, 2007

Walter Credle, director of the Hampton Department of Social Services, is the recipient of the American Public Human Services Association's 2007 Outstanding Member Award. He received the award at the APHSA annual fall conference.

Credle has been director of Hampton's social services for 17 years. Prior to that, he was director in Hopewell and assistant director in Virginia Beach. He rose through the ranks, starting as a caseworker in Portsmouth. He was a member of the APHSA Board of Directors twice, chair of the APHSA Local Council twice, a member of the Advisory Committee to APHSA's magazine, Policy & Practice, and a member of the advisory group on name change and identity project. He participated in the association's "Matter of Commitment" project on welfare reform in the 1980s.

In nominating Credle for the award, Linda Wolf, acting deputy executive director of government and legislative affairs at APHSA, said Credle not only is one of the longest-standing members of APHSA, but he also has served the organization in many official capacities as well. "He helped to establish a formal outreach to the chairs/presidents of organizations of local directors from around the country. He helped to create agendas for local administrators at American Public Welfare Association's Roundtable Conferences. Walter was and is ready to support the causes that he believes in, and, fortunately, APHA has always been one of them."

Joe Galano, associate professor of psychology at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, who has worked with Credle for 15 years and with the city of Hampton, said Credle is one "tireless, modest and committed individual who is a great leader and who tends to pull people together. I have the greatest respect for Walter." Galano particularly credited Credle with his work on the "Healthy Families Partnership," which ensures every child in Hampton is born healthy and enters school ready to learn.

The APHSA Outstanding Member Award is offered annually to a member who has distinguished himself in his or her work in helping the association carry out its mission.

About the APHSA

The American Public Human Services Association is a nonprofit, bipartisan organization of individuals and agencies concerned with human services. Its members include all state and territorial human services agencies, more than 150 local agencies, and several thousand individuals who work in or otherwise have an interest in human service programs. Its mission is to develop, promote and implement public human service policies and practices that improve the health and well-being of families, children and adults.