Toledo, OH – Celebrating the 15th year of the Toledo Local Government Leadership Academy, Ohio Sea Grant and the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce recently presented 28 participants with leadership certificates in a ceremony at the Stranahan Theater.
The academy, sponsored by the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, is the oldest of several similar programs across the state coordinated by Ohio Sea Grant aimed at enhancing the leadership and decision making skills of public officials, said Sea Grant Extension Educator Joe Lucente.
“The goal is to create good leaders,” Lucente said, “to teach public officials about the inner workings of running for office and, for those who work on local government boards and commissions, how to interact with government officials in the decision making processes they go through.”
The 10-week academy includes a basic course on Public Officials and Public Service, taught by Lucente, which covers duties and responsibilities of public officials, ethics and open meetings laws, among other topics. In addition, participants must complete five of 10 additional 2-hour workshops on issues such as communication, leadership skills and styles, effective decision-making, technology, team building or conflict management.
“The well-respected public officials who teach these workshops bring a unique and rich perspective from people who have been in this arena for a long time,” Lucente said.
Over 300 people have graduated from the academy, and feedback from participants is overwhelmingly positive. “Everybody has always really enjoyed the class,” Lucente said.
Academy alumni turned out for the graduation, which was held March 22 at the Stranahan Theater in Toledo.
“What we’re trying to do is create a leadership network,” Lucente said. “Graduates use it as a networking tool where people can come together and feel free to call upon each other to ask for advice or share stories or resources.”
Leadership academy workshops can be offered on a local or regional basis. For information on organizing a leadership academy program, contact Joe Lucente at lucente.6@osu.edu.
The Ohio State University’s Ohio Sea Grant College Program is part of NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 33 Sea Grant programs dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. For more information, visit ohioseagrant.osu.edu.
Media Contact
Jill Jentes Banicki, jentes.1@osu.edu, 614-292-8975