by Geoff Fox
Washington County Commissioner Wayne Keefer recently completed coursework for Maryland lawmakers and government officials called the Academy for Excellence. Keefer, of Hancock, will become a Fellow of the Academy For Excellence in Local Governance.
The Academy For Excellence in Local Governance voluntary certificate program is collaborative effort involving Maryland Association of Counties, Maryland Municipal League, The Local Government Insurance Trail, and the School of Public Policy of the University of Maryland, College Park.
The Academy is an educational resource for the professional education needs of Maryland local government officials, “providing the tool to make educated decisions on highly complex issues and to meet the challenges of their role, as well as to promote high ethical standards expected of elected officials,” according to the program description.
County government officials enrolled in the program are required to take eight “core” classes and six “elective” classes.
In order to be graduation eligible and to receive academy certification, Keefer took core classes Basic Risk Management, Conducting Effective Meetings, Consensus and Team Building, County Financial Management, Employment Issues, Ethics, Open Meetings, and Public Information Act.
For elective classes, Keefer participated in Second Chance Workplace Success: A Good Program is Good For Your County, Angling for Educational Excellence, Handle with Care: Substance Exposed Newborns, Tech Expo Deep Dive, Beyond Classifieds: Finding and Keeping the Employees You Need, and Delicious or Deadly? A Food Safety Update.
Keefer said he was honored to have graduated from a respected program in Maryland and nothing is more important to an elected official than understanding the issues facing their constituents and finding resolutions.
“This academy has helped me to become more knowledgeable of many ways I can assist those I serve every day in Washington County,” Keefer said.
