Winter #MACoCon Will Feature Academy for Excellence Courses on PIA, Teambuilding, and Risk Management

MACo’s Winter Conference offers something for everyone – including foundational course in good governance, alongside deeper dives of more complex issues.

Fellows of the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance (County Track) are required to complete 8 Core Courses and 6 Elective Courses to earn their certificate through the University of MD’s School of Public Policy – MACo will offer 3 Cores at Winter Conference.

These courses are open to all conference registrants, but Fellows will receive credit toward their certificate by completing evaluation forms for the Academy courses they complete.

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Public Information Act

  • Description: What kind of information should be released to the public upon request? Many difficulties can be avoided by knowing the answer. This class helps officials and staff at all levels understand the requirements of state law governing requests for public records and suggests best practices for handling those requests. The class includes small roundtable discussions using real-life scenarios to further illustrate appropriate responses to requests from the public or the press.
  • Speaker: Lisa Kershner, Public Access Ombudsman, Office of the Attorney General
  • Date/Time: Wednesday, December 11, 2024; 8:45 am – 10:15 am

Consensus & Teambuilding

  • Description: This class introduces local government leaders to the basic skills needed to successfully resolve conflict and build consensus within a local government setting. Particular emphasis is placed on developing ways to improve the design of public processes to enhance community involvement and satisfaction. This class is highly interactive and involves analysis of real-world examples as well as small group work built around hypothetical situations that will seem familiar to anyone who has served as a local government official.
  • Speakers:
    • Tom Reynolds, Education Director, Maryland Municipal League
    • Karenthia A. Barber, CEO/Founder, Professional Development Associates, LLC
    • Nick White, Ph.D., Evaluations and Research Director, Maryland Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO)
  • Date/Time: Wednesday, December 11, 2024; 10:30 am – Noon

Basics of Risk Management

  • Description: One of the main responsibilities of local governments is to protect its residents from risk to themselves and their property. Risk may result from a number of sources, including fire, crime, automobile accidents, harm to the infrastructure, or as a result of waste disposal. This class is designed to sharpen the awareness of officials that local government activities are subject to risks that may result in significant loss. Through learning about steps to reduce and control loss exposure and tools for identifying hazards, government officials can learn how to avoid the consequences of taking unnecessary risks.
  • Speaker: Larry Bohlen, Deputy Executive Director / Director of Field Services, LGIT
  • Date/Time: Friday, December 13, 2024; 8:00 am – 9:30 am

More Information

The Academy for Excellence in Local Governance is a volunteer certificate program for elected and appointed county and municipal officials. The program provides a strong background of necessary skills and knowledge for local government leaders. It was founded by MACo and MML, is facilitated by the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy, and is sponsored by the Local Government Insurance Trust (LGIT).

Academy courses are open to ALL conference registrants – Academy Fellows must complete evaluation forms for each class to earn credit.

Academy Fellows with questions about their transcripts should contact registrar Elizabeth Hinson at ehinson@umd.edu.

Learn more about MACo’s Winter Conference: