A Centre Region municipal manager was honored last week with a statewide award for outstanding service and leadership in local government.
Ferguson Township Manager Centrice Martin received a 2025 Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence at a ceremony in Harrisburg on April 16. The 29th annual awards ceremony, led by Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger on behalf of Gov. Josh Shapiro, recognized nine individuals, along with three counties, six municipalities and one organization, for dedication to strengthening their communities and better serving their residents.
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition,” Martin said in a statement. “This award reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire team at Ferguson Township. Together, we’ve focused on modernizing processes and finding innovative solutions that serve our residents with efficiency, transparency and accountability. I look forward to continuing our mission to build a stronger, more responsive local government.”
After joining the township in 2018 as assistant manager, Martin was named manager in 2022. Since then, she undertook a comprehensive assessment and led a number of initiatives to streamline township operations and create a more efficient governmental structure.
“Centrice Martin is a strong advocate for effective local government through modernization, innovation and progressive problem-solving,” her award description stated. “As township manager overseeing 70 team members, she prioritizes management best practices to serve residents with efficiency, transparency and accountability. Since 2018, Centrice’s leadership has improved township operations.”
Martin also is first vice president of the Pennsylvania Municipal League, which nominated her for the Governor’s Award, a member of the PennPrime Board, the Families First Network and Pioneering Change Community and has served on the Centre County Task Force on Mental Health Crisis Services and the State College Borough & Penn State Task Force on Policing and Communities of Color.
According to the awards program, a record number of nominations were received for this year’s awards, which coincided with Pennsylvania Local Government Day.
“The individuals, municipalities, counties and organizations that we are honoring today work passionately to ‘get stuff done’ by improving public services and making their communities better,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Their collective work has made a difference in the health, safety and quality of life of families and individuals across Pennsylvania. They are committed to making our Commonwealth a place where everyone can live, work and thrive, and we are proud to recognize them for their dedication and excellence.”
