Leadership Academy Participant Resources

GFOA’s Leadership Academy will be held November 17-22, 2024 at the College of Charleston. The information below will help attendees finalize their registration process for the academy. Congratulations on being selected to attend this year’s event.

Unlike other GFOA training opportunities, the Leadership Academy steps away from day-to-day technical areas in public finance and encourages participants to think about their individual development and the leadership role they play within their own department or agencies, as well as the broader organization. This is not only done in the classroom and through various exercises, but just as importantly, through the networking time participants will have to interact with each other.

GFOA chose a campus location for the program to allow participants a setting to be fully immersed in and to provide an environment that fosters learning and professional development. The program’s overall goal is to present added information and ideas to participants to take back to their own organizations and to further develop their own leadership skills.

All classes will be held on the College of Charleston campus:

Beatty Center School of Business
5 Liberty Street, Tate Room 202
Charleston, South Carolina 29401

Daily Agenda

Opening Reception and Dinner

Charleston’s Visitors Center, Camden Room 375 Meeting St. Charleston, SC

Reception at 5:00 PM, Dinner will be served at 6:00 PM

Chris Morrill and Bob O’Neill will welcome the group at the reception

All classes will be held on the College of Charleston campus in the Beatty Center 5 Liberty Street, Tate Room 202

Characteristics of Great Organizations

8:45 am - 12:15 pm

Bob O’Neill will present on the “Local Government Imperative” to provide broader context of public sector leadership trends.

There will be a break at 10:30 AM.

Lunch

12:15 pm - 1:15 pm 

Self-Assessing Your Strengths

1:25 pm - 3:15 pm

Dr. Alicia Caudill will lead the review of StrengthFinders self-assessments and discuss how to translate the results into leadership outputs.

Break

3:15 pm - 3:30 pm

Case Study Groups

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

A case study will be introduced and groups will be given time to discuss.

Dinner on Campus

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Randolph Hall - 66 George St. Charleston, SC

The bar will open at 6:00pm; Dinner will be served at 6:30pm

Leading a Government Finance Workforce

8:45 am - 9:30 am

Chris Morrill will share the latest research from Mission Square Research Institute and GFOA on public workforce challenges and then share ideas on how to attract and retain government finance talent.

Decision Leadership: The Finance Officer as a Decision Architect

9:30 am - 10:45 am

Shayne Kavanagh will discuss how budget officers are uniquely positioned to help public officials make better decisions. Budget officers can design decision processes in ways that produce better decisions. This is known as “decision architect.” To be a good decision architect, the budget officer needs to fulfill four broad responsibilities. We will discuss these four responsibilities and how to develop them.

Break

3:15 pm - 3:30 pm

Student Panel

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Discussion with students or those just starting their career on how to retain the workforce. Moderated by Ali Moriarty, Assistant Director of the Riley Center for Livable Communities at College of Charleston

Group Photo

12:00 PM - 12:15 PM

A group photo will be taken by Reese Moore Photography Cistern Yard, College of Charleston

Lunch

12:15 pm - 1:15 pm

Leading with Authentic Confidence

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Ego, arrogance and narcissism commonly describe ineffective leadership. Nobody likes a show-off, but it also doesn’t work to shrink into the shadows. Creator and Confidence Coach, Ben Fauske, will share the latest research & strategies and help you learn to find, lead and coach with Authentic Confidence.

Break

2:30 pm - 2:45 pm

Create Inspiration and Engagement with Charisma: Communication Tactics All Finance Leaders Should Master

2:45 pm - 4:45 pm

Being an effective leader of government finance isn’t just about the numbers; it’s about leading people, conveying how government finance impacts society, and ensuring transparency and trust among community members. In this session, Dr. Ulrich Jensen, Associate Professor at Arizona State University, will explore a set of proven communication tactics that all leaders in government finance can use to create inspiration and engagement internally and externally in their organization.

Reception on Campus

Location: Tate 202

The bar will open at 5:00pm, along with an assortment of heavy appetizers.

Building a Data-Informed Culture in Local Government: Lessons from Norfolk, Virginia

8:45 am - 10:15 am

Pete Buryk, City Manager of the City of Norfolk, will be presenting on the lessons they have learned while working to build a data-informed culture within their local government.

Break

10:15 am - 10:30 am

Personal Resilience During a Crisis

10:30 am - 11:30 am

No two crises are the same and no two communities are the same, but lessons from the past can help inform a novel situation. Bob O’Neill will discuss ways to maintain your personal resilience during an unexpected crisis.

Lunch

11:30 am - 12:30 pm

Walk to the Visitor’s Center

12:30 pm - 12:45 pm

375 Meeting St. Charleston, SC

The Leadership of Joe Riley Jr. in Charleston, SC

12:50 pm - 1:20 pm

Executives from the Charleston Visitor’s Bureau will speak on the leadership of Charleston’s former mayor, Joseph P. Riley Jr.

Charleston Tour

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Meet in the Bus Shed at the Charleston Visitor’s Center (375 Meeting St.) for a tour of Historic Charleston from Carolina Limo and Bulldog Tour Company.

Self-Guided Tour of the International African American Museum

3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Carolina Limo will drop participants off at the International African American Museum (14 Wharfside St.) for a self-guided tour of the museum.

Dinner

5:00 pm

Participants are on their own for supper tonight

Innovations in Organizations

8:45 am - 12:15 pm

Dr. Kim Nelson will discuss her research on the role of the finance professional in leading innovation.

There will be a break at 10:30 AM.

Lunch

12:15 pm- 1:15 pm

Leadership Skills for the 21st Century

1:15 p,- 3:00 pm

Bob O’Neill will discuss the characteristics of high performing organizations.

There will be a break at 2:30 PM.

Fairfax County Case Study Discussion

3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Bob O’Neill and Chris Morrill will lead a discussion on the pre-assigned case study.

Dinner at Stars Rooftop and Grill Room

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

495 King St. Charleston

The bar will open at 6:00 PM; Dinner will be at 6:30 PM.

Leadership Discussion

8:45 am - 10:00 am

Bob O’Neill will lead a conversation with participants focusing on their action agenda, including personal leadership agenda, five tasks they wish to do for their organization, and how to continue leadership skill growth.

Break

10:00 am- 10:15 am

Rethinking Public Engagement

10:15 am- 11:15 am

Valerie Lemmie from the Kettering Foundation will discuss why we need to rethink public engagement and how to promote a culture of active citizenship.

Closing Remarks

11:15 am - 11:45 am

Michael Bryant will share his story as a local government leader.

Certificates and Boxed Lunch

11:45 am - 12:00 pm

Registration Information

GFOA will register Leadership Academy participants. Once registered, you will receive an invoice sent to the email address on file.

Full Agenda (.PDF format)

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Leadership Academy Policies

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