The Southern California Local Government Leadership Academy

About the Program

group of leaders in a group meeting

This program facilitates the training of future city leaders through cost-effective instruction from experts in the field of city management. Preparing the next generation of leaders to successfully transition into senior executive positions, this program focuses on leadership skills and managerial effectiveness through the development of effective communication, strategic thinking and innovative ways to negotiate and foster collaboration within local government.

At a Glance

GET STARTED

Registration Coming Soon

What You Will Learn

  • Understand the evolving role of leadership and the qualities of effective leaders
  • Identify personal leadership strengths, weaknesses, and intrinsic motivations
  • Build high-trust teams through relationship intelligence and effective communication
  • Strengthen relationship-building skills within organizations and teams
  • Explore ethical leadership principles in public service environments
  • Evaluate personal and professional ethical standards in leadership decision-making
  • Understand the role of ethics in managing employees and organizational culture
  • Apply creativity and innovation strategies to improve organizational efficiency
  • Examine different leadership styles and their impact on team performance
  • Develop strategic thinking and effective decision-making skills
  • Learn practical approaches to problem-solving and organizational communication
  • Create and lead high-performing teams that support organizational success
  • Inspire organizational change and cultivate a culture of continuous growth
  • Build inclusive, equitable, and diverse workplace environments
  • Define and recognize different forms of diversity in today’s workforce
  • Analyze workforce demographic trends and their organizational impact
  • Recognize unintentional and unconscious bias in workplace settings
  • Apply best practices for bias mitigation and inclusive leadership
  • Enhance employee engagement through effective coaching and leadership strategies

Who Should Enroll

  • Current leaders and supervisors in the government sector
  • Emerging public-sector professionals preparing for leadership roles
  • City, county, and local government employees seeking advancement
  • Managers responsible for leading teams, driving organizational change, or improving workplace culture
  • Professionals interested in strengthening communication, strategic thinking, and decision-making skills
  • Public service employees who want to develop ethical leadership and innovation strategies
  • Leaders focused on employee engagement, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives
  • Individuals preparing to transition into senior executive or administrative positions within local government

Program Outline


This seminar examines the challenges and rewards of a leader's role and discovers the intrinsic drives of a leader. High-trust teams are built on relationship intelligence; in this seminar, participants learn how to be effective leaders through a deep dive into understanding how their leadership strengths, weaknesses, and motivations affect their communication and relationship-building capacity in the organization.

This seminar provides an opportunity to discuss essential aspects of leadership ethics and innovation in the public service sector. Participants review and discuss their personal and professional ethical standards, learn to understand the role of ethics in leading employees and organizations and learn how to harness creativity and innovation to improve organizational efficiency.

This seminar explores various leadership styles and demystifies key factors in successful leadership. Participants learn practical skills on how to solve problems through effective communication, strategic thinking, and decision-making. Participants also develop abilities in creating peak-performance teams, inspiring organizational change, and cultivating a culture of growth.

This seminar provides leaders with the necessary tools to effectively build, coach, and maintain a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. Participants will learn how to define diversity, understand its various forms, and analyze the demographic changes taking place in today's workforce. The seminar also guides participants in recognizing and managing unintentional and unconscious biases and adopting best practices for mitigation.

John Gillison has been the City Manager of Rancho Cucamonga for more than twelve years. Prior to his current position, he was the Assistant City Manager and Deputy City Manager for Rancho Cucamonga. John also previously served as the City Manager for the City of Sierra Madre. During his over 30 years of public service, he has served in various leadership roles in five agencies across Los Angeles and San Bernardino County. John holds a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in criminal justice and a master's degree in public administration from California State University Fullerton. As a licensed California attorney, John is a certified trainer in sexual harassment prevention as well as a Core Strengths SDI facilitator for improved communication for individuals and teams.

Richard Belmudez has over 30 years of urban planning experience serving in both private-sector land development and local government. Prior to his lectureship in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at 最新糖心Vlog, Richard served as Perris City Manager for over 14 years, where he led the organization through a population growth of nearly 50%. During his tenure at Perris, he championed the revitalization efforts of the City’s historic downtown district, completed an aggressive Capital Improvement Plan, and enhanced civic engagement through the “Live Well Perris” wellness program and Centennial celebrations. Richard’s interests include public policy, economic development, and historic preservation.

Zoot Velasco currently serves as the executive director at Friends of Fullerton College Foundation. He is also an author, researcher, TEDx conference producer, and a registered historical scholar with the California Humanities Council. In his 30 years of community work, Zoot led countless projects, including building four new art centers for the City of LA, a Boys & Girls Club in Harbor City, and a Theatre for the City of Long Beach. Zoot is a past president of the Rotary Club of Fullerton, and he last served as director of the Gianneschi Center for Nonprofit Research at California State University Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics, where he created the successful Gianneschi Fellowship for Social Impact Leadership and the G3X Conference. Zoot holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s College of California, an MBA in nonprofit management from Hope International University, and professional designations in leadership, fundraising, arts education curricula design, management, and conflict resolution.

Stacey Lewis is the Founder/CEO of HR Interrupted (www.hrinterrupted.com). HRI is a consultancy firm dedicated to providing expert and proven resources to business thought leaders who have GRIT to unapologetically disrupt outdated workplace ideologies, principles, and practices that impact the People, Business, and Culture experience. She is the former Chief Human Resources Officer for the Port of Long Beach, the second-busiest seaport in the United States, with approximately 600 employees and generates annual operating revenues in excess of $300 million. Stacey has over 35 years of professional experience in human resources, spanning both the private and public sectors.  She is an instructor/program liaison for the Human Resources Management Certification program at California State University, Long Beach. A dynamic and highly sought-after “transformational” speaker and self-proclaimed disruptor, Stacey received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of the Pacific. She also holds a Human Resources Management Certification from Loyola Marymount University, a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certification from Cornell University as well as several other professional HR designations/certifications.

Disclaimer

The current course schedule which includes class meeting times, locations and design, is subject to change without notice or obligation. The University does not guarantee the availability of a particular course or section, and reserves the right to cancel due to insufficient enrollment.

Request More Information