The GFOA Leadership Academy at the College of Charleston provides senior public and government finance professionals an opportunity to bolster their leadership and management skills to better serve their communities.

Through sessions and self-assessments, participants will:

• Optimize their technical knowledge and abilities to enhance leadership skills
• Gain new ideas to improve their organizations and communities
• Learn from and be inspired by industry-leading speakers and change agents
• Be more prepared to lead teams, steer organization vision, and manage multiple stakeholders
• Hone their abilities to handle difficult discussions, politically complex initiatives, and challenging executive roles
• Strengthen their networks through new connections with speakers and peer participants

The week-long Leadership Academy offers participants an opportunity to step away from day-to-day demands and technical training and instead focus on leadership development.

From the opening reception and dinner to the closing lunch, the week features a mix of sessions designed to spur individual learning, develop organizational insights, and nurture development of leadership skills. Sessions are intended to balance the role of the financial professional in state and local government with key trends in leadership for the public sector. Representative sessions include:

• Self-assessments and other behavioral insights designed to help participants understand how they work—and how they can best contribute to their organizations
• Leadership skills for the 21st century
• Characteristics of great organizations
• You and your organization
• Values of public service
• Case study preparation and presentations
• Leadership discussions and reflections

Leadership Academy speakers will share their perspectives on the roles and responsibilities of state and local government officials in a complex and rapidly changing world. They will share career insights gleaned from research and hands-on leadership experience. The faculty roster includes:

Robert O'Neill

Executive in Residence, Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Center for Livable Communities

Chris Morrill

GFOA Executive Director

Shayne Kavanagh

GFOA Senior Research Manager

Alicia D. Caudill

Executive Vice President for Student Affairs, College of Charleston

John Nalbandian

Professor Emeritus, University of Kansas School of Public Affairs & Administration

Kim Nelson

Professor of Public Administration and Government, University of North Carolina

Valerie Lemmie

Director of Exploratory Research, Kettering Foundation

Michael Bryant

Deputy County Manager, Mecklenburg County, NC

If you are interested in applying for the next Leadership Academy, but are concerned about the costs for travel or lodging, you can also apply for a scholarship through the GFOA’s Leadership Development Scholarship program. GLDS is a brand new program focused on providing scholarship funding to working professionals for in-person training provided by GFOA and our partners.

Funds are limited, but we encourage you to apply for a GLDS scholarship if the travel costs for the Leadership Academy keep you from participating. Click here to view the application requirements.

Questions? Please contact GFOA's Randall Towns.