Summer #MACoCon Academy for Excellence Core Courses Focus on Foundations: Ethics and Effective Meetings

County Fellows of the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance are required to complete 8 Core Courses and 6 Elective Credits – MACo announces 2 Core Courses to be held at the 2025 Summer Conference.

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 (register online) – 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.

2025 MACo Summer Conference Academy Core Courses

(All courses will be completely in-person, with no virtual option. Participants must be conference registrants to attend – daily options are available.)

Ethics

Officials should be knowledgeable of their public ethics ordinance, as generally required by state law. Many officials fill out the necessary forms and assume that they have complied with the law. But are their day-to-day actions living up to the intent of the law? There is often a fine line between legal and ethical behavior, and this class illustrates the differences through real-life scenarios and small group discussions.

Speaker: The Honorable Todd Turner, Esq., Executive Director, Office of Ethics and Accountability, Prince George’s County

Moderator: The Honorable Todd Ireland, Commissioner, Vice President, Calvert County

Date/Time: Wednesday, August 13, 2025; 3:15 pm – 4:45 pm

Conducting Effective Meetings

Conducting public business requires managing the issues that come before a public body. Building an agenda, promoting useful discussion, and providing a structure for decision-making are key goals for an effective meeting and for effective public officials. The instructor also covers the proper use of organized rules of order (known as parliamentary procedure) which allow all voices to be heard but with debate that remains focused and civil.

Speaker: The Honorable Lynn Galletti, Council Member, Mount Airy

Moderator: The Honorable Eric Fiori, Commissioner, Vice President, Worcester County

Date/Time: Wednesday, August 13, 2025; 1:15 pm – 2:45 pm

MACo is also offering 6 elective courses at the Summer Conference.

Read about all the sessions being offered at MACo’s Summer Conference.

You must be registered for the conference to attend – REGISTER TODAY!

Please note: Academy Fellows do not need to notify MACo they will be attending these courses. They only need to complete the Academy evaluation forms for each session to receive credit toward their certificate.

Learn more about MACo’s Summer Conference: