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July 10 Deadline to apply for Emerging Leaders Academy

May 8, 2018

By Kristin Asher, APWA-MN President

The Emerging Leaders Academy provides intensive leadership and management training within the context of public works, encouraging professional growth through a strong network of peers, and offering an in-depth introduction to APWA at the national, chapter, and branch levels.

As the APWA-Minnesota Chapter supports the development of our Young Professionals, we would like to sponsor one of our emerging leaders to attend this terrific program through APWA national. We are encouraging our members to send us a “Letter of Interest” by July 10 if interested in the program.

The Emerging Leaders Academy is a year-long program that starts in September and concludes the following August. It is essential that individuals who participate in the academy are able to make the time commitment and have the support of their management to advance through the program. Participation in all events, activities, and projects of the academy is mandatory.

The academy’s activities include monthly one-hour conference calls; a two-day retreat in Kansas City, MO; and attendance at the APWA International Public Works PWX. It is expected that participants will also complete reading assignments and other class projects as requested by the Academy Coordinator. Learn more about the Emerging Leaders Academy here.

The chapter is proposing to sponsor one candidate for the 2018-2019 session, which would include attendance at the APWA National PWX in Seattle, Washington in 2019.

Selection Criteria

In order to be considered for selection, the applicant should:

Be a professional who has been working in the field of public works for no more than 10 years or have been working for longer than 10 years but have been promoted into their first leadership role within the past three years.
Be a member of the American Public Works Association.
Be involved in and making contributions to chapter activities through participating in a committee or other chapter work.
Be committed to full participation in all Emerging Leader Academy assignments and activities.
Have supervisory oversight of staff.
Have a demonstrated record of wanting to continue to grow professionally in the field of public works.
Have full support of their agency’s executive leadership.

Commitment

Participation in monthly Emerging Leaders Academy class conference calls
Timely submission of program-related homework assignments
Attendance at the Emerging Leaders Academy Retreat in Kansas City, Missouri (October 26-28, 2018)
Attendance at PWX 2019 in Seattle, Washington (September 8-11, 2019)
Financial support from designated sponsor for attendance at PWX in Seattle, in September 2019 (Note: this includes PWX registration fee, round-trip travel costs, hotel accommodations and meals)
Completion of class project (see 2015-16 class project, Preparing the Next Generation of Public Works: Equipping Leaders with Tools to Engage Staff and Harness the Power of Community)

Application Process

APWA-MN members wishing to be considered should prepare a letter (maximum of one page) addressing the criteria above. Letters of interest must be received no later than 4:30 p.m., July 10, 2018. Please be sure to include your APWA membership number. Email the letter in PDF format to: Kristin Asher, APWA-MN President, at kasher@richfieldmn.gov.

Selection of the potential candidates will be made by chapter officers on July 13 and candidates will be notified of the selection shortly thereafter. The decision will be ratified by the Executive Committee on August 8, 2018. A complete application packet needs to be submitted by the selected candidate to APWA by August 18, 2018.

If you have questions, please contact Kristin Asher at (612) 861-9795.

Thank you for your interest!