From the Executive Director: Frosty Fresh Start with Local Government Academy!
Welcome to a new year, a frosty fresh start, for Local Government Academy!
This year brings the end of one chapter and the beginning of another as we thank outgoing board chair Ruthann L. Omer, P.E. and are excited to welcome our new Board Chair Dan Santoro! We sat down with both to get their perspectives on the position, and what we can look forward to in the future.
Ruthann has been an incredible leader, always striving to support the Local Government Academy Pillars of Good Government and using her wide array of municipal knowledge to put people first. Reflecting on her time as chair, she shared “It’s really enjoyable working with all the different professionals from municipal, county, and state governments. Everyone I worked with has different skillsets and everyone wants to work together to help solve a problem.”
When asked how the role of Board Chair shaped her professionally and personally, she shared “I was shaped professionally by seeing that people do want to learn and work together, they cross boundaries and borders to do what is good for the region. This allowed me to bring groups together to accomplish projects that I never would have thought of. Personally, the relationships I have formed with all the great people, learning so many skills like how to negotiate, accounting, solving technical issues, and more. Every new group, new age level, bring something new to the table and keeping an open mind helps you learn so much.”
Ruthann’s advice to the incoming chair? “Enjoy the working relationships, ask questions, value the excellent staff surrounding you, and don’t expect to do it all on your own because so many people want to better the region. Oh, and relax! It will get done.”
We are equally grateful to Ruthann and excited to welcome our new Board Chair Dan Santoro! As we look ahead to this new year, we spoke with Dan to get a sense of his vision for Local Government Academy, and the future of our work in the region. “I’m most excited about executing on the recently completed strategic plan and the initiatives we have outlined. A lot of time and work went into completing that and it’s very exciting to have a refreshed roadmap that is ready for execution.”
Some initiatives that Dan is particularly excited to continue to develop during his term are the two signature programs of Local Government Academy, the Newly Elected Officials Course (NEOC) and the Municipal Intern Program. “NEOC has had recent conversations about expanding access, we had a point in this cycle where we [were] at capacity and are in the process of expanding access to allow everyone who wants to participate in the program to participate. I’m excited about the challenge to continue to grow that program in particular. Second is the Municipal Intern Program because I do believe in and have seen success in developing young leaders in municipal government. [Cranberry Township] currently has a full-time employee who was once and intern through this program so continuing to expand it is really important to me.”
As for the future? “Any organization has to stay true to its core mission and know what it is good at and continue to do it with excellence, and Local Government Academy has demonstrated that over the years. We have had many conversations about growth and expansion but never forget the true mission. We have to stay focused on our core competencies and continue to do them well.”
As we move into this new chapter, we are reminded that the continued success of Local Government Academy comes from the incredible people who make up this organization. Our board members, dedicated staff, volunteers, and our Advocates for Good Government help us to continue to be an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization.
~Joy