Issue 108 - February 2021
NEWS: WORTHY

Academy Update
By Michelle Aguayo, Training CoordinatorIt’s not just another online meeting: The California JPIA has gone virtual, and that includes this year’s training academies. You won’t want to miss the exciting virtual academies planned for March through November. The academies will be held over three consecutive half-days and broadcast from the Authority’s campus in La Palma. The attendees and most speakers will be virtual and will use the On24 and Zoom platforms to view and participate in sessions, in much the same way you may remember from our 2020 Risk Management Educational Forum. The key is that these academies will be very immersive and engaging in much the same fashion as academies have always been.
What usually would begin in February now starts in March, with the Parks and Recreation Academy scheduled for March 9 -11, 2021. New to this California JPIA academy is speaker Candace Collins, with Praesidium, who will present “Background Screening and Beyond: Tips for Preventing Sexual Abuse.” This is just one of the updated sessions in this year’s academy agenda.
The Risk Management Academy, created for new and current risk managers, is scheduled for April 12-14, 2021. The Authority’s newest Senior Risk Managers, Tony Leite, Toni Consolo, and Lucy Gonzalez, will join the team of speakers and staff this year. Like other virtual academies, this academy will use Zoom break-out rooms to foster participation and networking among fellow attendees and speakers.
Continuing with the California JPIA’s core values of excellence and innovation, a new academy will be offered this year, geared toward elected officials in office for more than two years. The Governance Leadership Academy will be held virtually, May 4-6, 2021. Topics such as “Increasing the Odds of Avoiding an Ethical Crisis,” “Goal Setting – Aligning Community, Council, and Staff Goals,” and “The Critical Connection for Elected Officials: Chief Executive and Department Head Relations” are just a few of the important topics planned. Like all of our virtual academies, this will be interactive and have opportunities for engaging with the speakers and fellow attendees.
The Executive Academy, one of the academies canceled last year due to COVID-19, is scheduled for May 17-19, 2021. Experienced, new, and soon-to-be city managers and other chief executives are welcome to attend this virtual academy. A new addition this year will be an “Idea Exchange” session with two of the speakers guiding a conversation with the attendees covering topics such as ethics, council member on-boarding and development, council/staff relationships, focus and priorities, political sensitivity, and policy development.
Elected officials who have been in office less than two years will want to attend this year’s virtual Newly Elected Officials academy, scheduled June 7-9, 2021. Topics will address local government finance, structure, and laws, understanding the council-manager form of government, and protecting yourself and your agency from liability.
The Human Resources Academy is scheduled for August 17-19, 2021. One of the topics included this year, which our members have frequently requested, is “Dealing with Difficult Conversations and Difficult Employee Situations.”
The Public Works Academy will occur October 12-14, 2021. Sessions similar to the in-person academy are planned, but with a twist to include current events and topics. The “ADA Litigation in Public Works” session with speaker Barbara Thorpe will include COVID-19 updates.
The last virtual academy for this year is scheduled for November 9-11, 2021. For new managers and supervisors, the Management Academy will have a slight change in topics, but will still include the same outstanding leadership sessions that have historically been a favorite among past attendees. Scheduled to close out the last day is Scott Grossberg with the session, “Your Job is to Make Your People Successful.” You won’t want to miss this or any of our other new virtual academies this year.
Registration for all the virtual academies will be made available the month prior to the academy start dates. For more information on these training academies, please contact Michelle Aguayo by email or (562) 467-8777.
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