SOLI holds first Public Leadership Academy

This summer, the John Glenn College of Public Affairs hosted the inaugural class of the new Public Leadership Academy in cooperation with the new State of Ohio Leadership Institute (SOLI). Housed at the Glenn College, SOLI provides nonpartisan leadership training to state and local elected officials and includes a variety of short-term and long-term educational programs.

The week-long, residential training program covered administrative essentials and the depth and breadth of governing body responsibilities. Participants received instruction and worked alongside leading practitioners and scholars in the field of governance. Topics covered legislative, regulatory, financial, legal and ethical environments and the challenges they may face in these settings. Inaugural class members were selected by committee through a state-wide nomination process of new and well-seasoned elected officials with a demonstrated commitment to public service.

“The goal of the Public Leadership Academy is to offer a space for elected officials to create life-long partnerships to develop core leadership skills of communication, collaboration, analysis and problem-solving and decision-making in an elected legislative setting,” said Trevor Brown, dean of the Glenn College and executive director of the State of Ohio Leadership Institute.

Participants received instruction and worked alongside leading practitioners and scholars in the field of governance. Topics covered legislative, regulatory, financial, legal and ethical environments and the challenges they may face in these settings.

Two former mayors of Columbus, Michael Coleman and Greg Lashutka, gave the opening address during the program’s welcome reception. Some of the leading practitioners and scholars lead the sessions included Glenn College Professor Jos Raadschelders, whose presentation entitled “Elected Service in a Democracy” offered a historical overview of public service and government. Other notable presenters included former Ohio Governor Robert Taft, City of Columbus Auditor Megan Kilgore, Ted Celeste, director of State Programs for the National Institute for Civil Discourse, Idaho State Representative Melissa Wintrow and Tony Bledsoe the executive director and legislative inspector general for the Ohio Joint Legislative Ethics Committee.

Luke Feeney, who is serving his first term as mayor of Chillicothe, Ohio, appreciated the caliber of instruction he received. “I really thought the quality of the instructors was impressive. The combination of their subject matter knowledge and practical experience created a learning environment that was great for our group and conducive to engagement and discussion,” said Feeney. “That interaction led us to learn from our peers as much as the instructors which was an added bonus. It was also a great way for me to compare governing with similar cities as well as on a larger scale.”

The Public Leadership Academy welcomes elected officials with diverse levels of experience. Carla Thompson’s passion for activism led to her recent run for city council where she beat out the incumbent for Ward 3 in Lima, Ohio. Before arriving, Thompson admitted to feeling nervous about attending because of her newness to holding elected office.

“I was a little intimidated by the level of experience of the group, but it was a needed and very refreshing experience,” said Thompson. “The Public Leadership Academy opened my eyes to a slow-moving, but very present, political shift towards civility and bi-partisanship. I am hoping that continues to grow from a local and national position. It did my heart good to realize that there are several other people in office with just good hearts and good intentions. I feel very optimistic and I am so grateful I participated.”

Future plans for the Public Leadership Academy include gathering participant input for upcoming training sessions as well as inviting inaugural class members to serve as program ambassadors.

Learn more about SOLI.