ABOUT

Local Government Academy

What We Do
Meet the Board
Our Team
Advocates

About LGA

An independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization, promoting excellence in local government.

Each year, Local Government Academy offers a wide array of educational programs, including day and evening classroom-style programs, round-table discussions and webinars.

We support and promote a strong and responsive local government system, develop effective local leaders, educate public officials, public employees and citizens, and build collaborations and partnerships.

Establishing Pillars of Good Government For Over 20 Years

LGA engages with both professionals and volunteers to recommend policies and practices for local governments.

We recommend policies and practices in key areas such as ethics, public safety, intergovernmental cooperation, and more.

These Pillars of Good Government are used by local governments and citizens to evaluate the value and performance of their local government services.

Made possible through the generous support of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

The "Pillars of Good Government" project followed a collaborative process to identify policies and practices of well-governed and managed communities. The “Pillars” established research-proven standards by which elected officials, staff and the public can gain a better understanding of local government service obligations and best practices. The following Pillars of Good Government provide for the objective evaluation of the value and performance of local government services and serve as the foundation for LGA programs:

Budget & Finance

Community Development

Powers & Duties

Ethics

Infrastructure & Public Works

Intergovernmental Cooperation

Public Safety

Public Sector Human Resource Management

Our Board of Directors

Chair

Ruthann L. Omer, P.E.
Omer Advisors, Inc.

Vice Chair

Andy Waple, AICP
AECOM

Jenn Beer
President & CEO,
Leadership Pittsburgh

Bracken Burns
South Strabane Township,
Washington County

Eric Chandler
Canonsburg Borough

Suzanne Chybrzynski
HDH/HUB International

Patrick Conners, II
Quaker Valley Council of Governments

Darla J. Cravotta
Allegheny County, Office of the Executive

Jason Davidek
Allegheny League of Municipalities

Lisa Franklin-Robinson
North Braddock Borough

Mark Gordon
Butler County Economic Development and Planning

Ryan L. Hayes
Pennsylvania American Water

Charles M. Jones
City of Beaver Falls

Paul Klein
Allegheny County Council

Dawn Lane
Moon Township

An Lewis
Steel Rivers Council of Governments

Carrie Machuga, AICP
McCormick Taylor

Mark Mansfield
Upper St. Clair Township

Michael McCaig
Raymond James

Lori Mizgorski
State Representative
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Dan Santoro
Cranberry Township

Catherine Sapp
Penn Hills

Art Tintori
Green Tree Borough

Sue Trout
Mockenhaupt Benefits Group

Shon Worner
Campbell Durrant Beatty
Palombo & Miller, P.C.

Corey Young
Center for Energy Policy & Management,
Washington & Jefferson College

Our Team

Joy M. Ruff, AICP

Executive Director

Joy has more than 23 years of experience in municipal planning, community development, and public involvement that spans public, private, and non-profit sectors. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a M.A. in Communication Studies from California University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and has led planning and community engagement efforts across Pennsylvania focusing on issues of importance to local governments.

Conner Plunkett

Program Manager

Conner comes to Local Government Academy as program manager from several years working in immigration law, focusing on professional and employment-based immigration. He holds an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom and a B.A. in philosophy from Hampshire College. In his position as program manager, Conner plays a key role in facilitating our programming including the Municipal Intern Program and Newly Elected Officials course. In his free time, Conner is an avid cyclist and enthusiastic gardener.

Faith Turamye

Customer Relationship Management Software Intern

Faith Turamye, an international student from Rwanda, is pursuing dual degrees in Management Information Systems and Management, with a minor in Marketing, at La Roche University. Currently, she is interning with Local Government Academy, where she focuses on building and optimizing a constituent database to enhance organizational efficiency. Faith is mapping out and implementing a plan to make the transferred data from a previous CRM system fully usable, collaborating with staff to meet the organization's needs.

Faust De Maldonado-Candide

Municipal Intern Program Coordinator

Faust De Maldonado-Candide has always had a passion for public service. This passion led him to join the United States Army, and now interns at the Local Government Academy as our Municipal Intern Project Coordinator. In the Army, Candide worked as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and nuclear defense Specialist; where, he achieved the rank of Sergeant, and earned 3 Army Achievement Medal’s. His background is as diverse as his personality. He holds an AA in Liberal Arts, worked in Emergency and Occupational medicine, and is currently enrolled in the University of Pittsburgh’s Politics and Philosophy Degree program. Candide has climbed 9 mountains, seven of which he accomplished in 48 hours, has drank glacier water, and has successfully jumped out of perfectly good airplane 15 times.

Christian LeClaire

Community Projects Assistant

Christian is a graduate from Duquesne University with a degree in Digital Media Arts. He has joined Local Government Academy as Community Projects Assistant focusing on brand cohesiveness and social media marketing. This position is an inter-organizational partnership with Local Government Academy and Allegheny League of Municipalities (ALOM) developed to heighten organizational awareness and provide on-the-ground support to municipalities across the region. Working together, the Academy and ALOM seek to enhance resources to municipal stakeholders to promote our common goal of good governance in Southwestern Pennsylvania. In his free time, Christian can be found attending concerts or walking at the local park.

Olivia Policicchio

Program Coordinator

Olivia is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a degree in Public Policy. She has joined the Local Government Academy as a Program Coordinator. With previous experience in AmeriCorps, Olivia is dedicated to making a positive impact in her community. In her new role, she will organize and facilitate programs such as the Municipal Intern Program and the Newly Elected Officials course. In her spare time, Olivia loves exploring the outdoors and enjoying ice cream.