Mat-Su senator given prestigious national state government service award

The Council of State Governments (CSG), a national association of state governments, has recognized Wasilla’s Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla, among its 2021 “20 under 40” national leadership awards.

The honor, given annually, highlights the outstanding work of 20 up-and-coming elected and appointed officials from across the country who exemplify strong leadership skills and have demonstrated a commitment to serving the citizens of their states.

Nominees for the award should have demonstrated excellence in one or more of the following areas, according to information on the Council of State Governments website:

• Ability to engage officials across party, departments, branch and/or state lines in meaningful ways to advance the common good for their state/territory;

·• Provide exceptional leadership to a state project, committee, chamber, commission or special group;

·• Serve as a champion of change and seek to enhance the lives of all constituents within a specific policy area.

Nominees should also be an elected or appointed state official from a U.S. state or territory, and be age 40 or younger on December 31.

“I am honored to be an award recipient, together with this great cohort of effective legislative leaders,” said Wilson, who represents the Mat-Su region in the state senate.

Leaders from across the country including the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. territories were nominated for this year’s leadership award class.

“The state officials named to the 2021 class of The Council of State Governments 20 Under 40 Leadership Award represent a broad cross-section of the exceptional leaders that successfully govern our states,” said David Adkins, CSG executive director/CEO.

“Those recognized this year come from diverse backgrounds, different political parties, different branches of state government and from every region of our country, but they share a singular commitment to make a difference for those they serve.”

Founded in 1933, The Council of State Governments is a nonpartisan organization that brings state officials together to learn from each other and to craft solutions to today’s public policy challenges.

“The hard-working leaders recognized with the CSG 20 Under 40 Leadership Award have demonstrated the ability to productively collaborate to achieve consensus and produce results,” Adkins said. “While they may be young, their public service honors the oldest and best values of our democracy.”

Award recipients will be honored at the 2021 CSG National Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico in December.