2025-26 Civic Leadership Academy Program Series

Oct. 16, 2025, 9-10:30 a.m. (Central Time)

Presented by Mim Evans., MS, Senior Research Associate, Center for Governmental Studies, Northern Illinois University

Online Webinar

Description: Residents hold the key to municipal and nonprofit success, from creating new plans to serving on commissions and completing projects. Engaging with residents is an ongoing challenge, with successful initiatives smoothing the way to achieve goals while missteps can jeopardize policies or projects.

The options for reaching residents have expanded, and opportunities for their involvement have evolved. This class explores ways to keep residents informed, solicit input for plans, policies and proposed projects, and encourage them to volunteer in their community. The class will be helpful to elected and appointed officials and staff of local governments and nonprofit organizations.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will explore options for communicating with residents and consider the best fit for their community’s needs.
• Participants will become familiar with variations on standard public input tools, including surveys and focus groups, as well as interesting options such as online tools, partners, and interactive sessions. Pizza boxes, anyone?
• Participants will learn the basics of managing volunteers to grow and sustain a volunteer base.

Addresses ICMA Practice Areas

Nov. 20, 2025, 9-10:30 a.m. (Central Time)

Andy Blanke, MPA, Research Specialist, Center for Governmental Studies, Northern Illinois University

Online Webinar

Description: State and federal agencies publish a lot of data and information on community and economic characteristics to help policymakers, but it can be hard to keep up. As your guide, Andy will walk you through some of the best public data resources for community and economic development. We’ll discuss how the data is collected, how to analyze and present it, and how to convert data into insights, including hands-on examples with several economic and demographic datasets.  Although this session focuses on data, discussions and examples will be oriented toward decision-making. You’ll learn how to use data and apply concepts to your community, rather than practicing formulas and computation.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify public resources able to provide you with the information needed to explore community data questions.
• Gain working knowledge of online mapping and visualization tools that use Census Bureau data. 
• See examples of how to present and share information with stakeholders.
• Learn to guide informed discussions with analysts and staff to get the community data you need.

Addresses ICMA Practice Areas

Dec. 9, 2025, 9-10:30 a.m. (Central Time)

Tameika Chandler-Jones, MHRM, MBA, CLRP, SHRM-PMQ, President and Owner, Transcendent Consultative Solutions, LLC

Online Webinar

Description: Join us on The Workforce Wellness Adventure, an engaging and practical webinar designed to transform your approach to building a vibrant and resilient team. In this lively session, you'll discover powerful strategies to boost employee retention, implement effective cross-training programs, and create a healthy, toxicity-free workplace culture. Through real-world examples and actionable tips, you'll learn how to cultivate an environment where employees thrive, collaborate and stay committed.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the current landscape of workforce development and recognize the importance of targeted retention, cross-training and toxicity management.
• Identify and implement effective retention strategies such as recognition, career development and flexible work arrangements to reduce turnover.
• Design and promote cross-training programs that enhance workforce flexibility, teamwork and skill development.
• Recognize signs of toxicity in the workplace and apply strategies to foster psychological safety, communication and respectful behaviors.
• Create an integrated approach to workforce development that combines retention, cross-training, and toxicity reduction to build a resilient, engaged organization.

Addresses ICMA Practice Areas

February 19, 2026  9-11:30 a.m.

Presented by Mim Evans., MS, Senior Research Associate, Center for Governmental Studies, Northern Illinois University

Online Webinar

Description: Sometimes communities find themselves faced with a pressing issue or an intriguing opportunity that they are not quite prepared to address. Or perhaps the general direction of the community’s future has become a topic of discussion. In these moments, the call for “a plan” emerges, no matter the community’s size, location or length of time since the last plan. Plans are an energizing process. They provide forums to exchange ideas and set future direction and priorities. But what kind of plan? Deciding whether a formal plan is necessary and, if so, what kind of plan it should be, can be challenging.

This class will present an overview of different kinds of plans often considered by local governments with the goal of aiding local staff and officials in deciding what plan to pursue. Additionally, what to expect from the planning process will be discussed. Examples of completed plans and statutory requirements will be presented. Types of plans covered will include comprehensive plans, strategic plans, economic development strategies, age-friendly plans, housing studies, and master plans focused on specific topics such as the arts, parks, or downtown.

Objectives:

• Participants will learn the purpose and content of different kinds of plans.
• Participants will understand the role of local staff, officials and a potential outside consultant.
• Participants will learn what to expect from the planning process including who may be involved, public participation, and communication.
• Participants will consider what happens after the plan is complete, including community expectations and implementation.
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Addresses ICMA Practice Areas