To Local Government Academy’s Board of Directors, Advocates, and Friends: Thank you! The staff of this small, publicly funded Non-Profit, sincerely appreciates your support, engagement, and leadership. In 2020, with your help, we have delivered over 2,000 hours of instruction to local officials and staff to date. From the resounding success of the 2019-2020 Newly Elected Officials Course to kicking off a regional blight mitigation partnership, this year has been quite a ride and we aren’t slowing down!

Our newly elected officials, Class of 2020, had the opportunity to celebrate their commitment to good governance on March 4th, where over 130 people attended the Newly Elected Officials Course Graduation Dinner. The Class of 2020 broke records for registration, attendance, and representation by women. Over 80 municipal officials, representing 54 distinct municipalities across five counties, completed 30+ hours of professional development on all things related to municipal governance. We are especially proud that 50% of the course graduates were women, which demonstrated that modernizing the program’s format made it more accessible for more people. Check out our website for more info!

Knowing that local government doesn’t stop, we are in the process of helping our municipal partners connect with students interested in a summer internship. Now in the 25th year, the Municipal Intern Program is a competitive program, and we typically receive more applications than we can fund and more students applying than we can place. This year is no exception – especially from students who submitted over 50 applications for 16 projects. Knowing that our professional development activities with the students will look a bit different this year, we are working with our Academic Partners and foundation community to reimagine workforce development in the virtual world.

In many ways, we were given a blank slate to rethink our approach to training. With new partnerships and lots of ideas, we are excited to announce our Summer Workshop Series to bring technical assistance to you – albeit remotely. Developed in partnership with the Allegheny League of Municipalities, the Summer Webinar Series will bring in the experts to answer your pressing questions related to response and recovery for local governments.

Finally, in 2020 we are rolling out a new regional Blight Mitigation Initiative. Still in the early phases, we have begun professional training to advance community renewal across Southwestern Pennsylvania. Working with the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington, Greene County Redevelopment Authority, and Allegheny County Economic Development, we will build local champions who will support community reinvestment and renewal.

Yes – we have had challenges to overcome but your help made it possible, and we are excited about our plans for the summer. As we reopen our communities and restore our sense of community, I urge you to support us as we continue to Promote Excellence in Local Government.

– Joy