Cleveland County Election Board Secretary Paula G. Roberts recently became the state's first election official to be designated as a Certified Elections/Registration Administration.

The designation came during an Aug. 15 ceremony conducted by the election Center at the Westin Park Central Hotel in Dallas.

The CERA designation, the highest professional achievement, comes after a multi-year course conducted by the Election Center's Professional Education Program and completion of 12 core courses taught by the Master's in Public Administration faculty at Auburn University.

Topics covered include ethics, voter registration, election laws, planning, communications and voter participation. Program officials said the intent is to professionalize the management of voter registration and elections administration in promoting and preserving public trust in the democratic process.

"This is the highest designation available to elections and voter registration officials," said R. Doug Lewis, the center's director. "Of more than 21, 000 election and voter registration officials throughout America, this graduating class of 56 professionals take us to 498 election officials who have achieve the CERA status. To be among the first 500 certified in America is an outstanding accomplishment."

"Cleveland County is indeed fortunate to have Ms. Roberts as one of the top designated professionals in America. Obtaining and maintaining CERA status means that she has committed to a career long process of continuing education to improve the electoral process in Oklahoma and the nation," Lewis said.

Roberts, a former high school teacher, has served as an elections official for more than 18 years.

"This is one of the most challenging education programs I have ever participated in. We covered the law, and ethical considerations in how to better serve the public," Roberts said. "We also became more aware of how important it is to nurture and care for the democratic process.

"It is my great honor to assure that the public's will is accurately reflected in our elections," she said. "I see my role to dignify all potential voters and to remove as many barriers as possible to participation in the democratic process. Our office cannot be responsible for how many actually turn out for each election, but we can certainly be sure that they have the opportunity to vote and have their votes counted accurately."

Roberts holds bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Oklahoma. She has served in the state election system as a regional coordinator, a member of several state committees including one that oversaw changes made in the state's election system required by the Help America Vote Act.

She is board president of the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), a member of the Norman Chamber of Commerce Leadership Norman class, and is a Tomorrow's Leaders sponsor. She and her husband, Barry, live in Norman and are members of the First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. They have an adult daughter living in Los Angeles.