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Toledo Area Local Government Leadership Academy

In the mid-1990s, the Lucas County office of Ohio State University Extension developed a partnership through the state OSU Extension Community Development program and The Ohio State University Sea Grant College Program with the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce to develop a "Local Government Leadership Academy." The purpose of the academy is to "encourage, support and promote good government through a curriculum geared towards leadership and decision-making skills as it relates to interaction in the public sector." Extension's state leader for Government and Community Service provided leadership from the state Community Development program.

Partnership with Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce

Joseph Lucente, Extension Educator in Community Economic Development and Sea Grant Extension in Lucas County, assumed the role of program coordinator at the local level. He developed a partnership with the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce, which had just established "The Leadership Fund" -- a voluntary, unincorporated political action committee. The fund accepted a proposal developed by Lucente to develop a "Local Government Leadership Academy" with a focus to encourage, support and promote good government through a curriculum geared towards leadership and decision-making skills as they relate to interaction in the public sector.

Program Design and Development:

The program was developed as a modified version of the Ohio Local Government Leadership Academy organized through the state Community Development program. The Toledo program offered 10 sessions, and participants were required to attend at least six of those sessions to graduate.

Class Topics and Schedule:

• Week 1: Public Officials and Public Service
• Week 2: Conducting Effective Meetings
• Week 3: Communicating and Working with the Media
• Week 4: Communicating and Working with Citizens
• Week 5: Building Sustainable Communities
• Week 6: Team Building
• Week 7: Leadership Skills and Styles and Effective Decision Making
• Week 8: Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution
• Week 9: Intergovernmental Relations: Opportunities and Challenges for Cooperation
• Week 10: Technology in Local Government

Class Profile/Backgrounds

Participants of the Toledo Local Government Leadership Academy have been a varied group: elected and appointed officials at the city, county, township and village levels of government; educators; people appointed to government boards, commissions, committees, task forces; as well as non-profit sector and private sector individuals.

In 2006, the fifth annual 10-week Toledo Local Government Leadership Academy was held, with 25 elected and appointed officials as well as local board and commission members receiving certificates of completion. To date, 92 total participants have increased their overall knowledge in local government by 85 percent, according to class evaluations.

For information on the Toledo Local Government Leadership Academy, contact:

Joe Lucente
OSU Extension Educator
Sea Grant and Community Development
Lucas County
lucente.6@osu.edu

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Created: 2008-04-14, Updated: 2008-04-14