Local Official Completes Leadership Training at the University of Tennessee, Institute for Public Service

Local Official Completes Leadership Training at the University of Tennessee, Institute for Public Service

Robert Baggett, Circuit Court Clerk of Franklin County, was among the 40 county and municipal government leaders who successfully completed the 20th annual Local Government Leadership Program (LGLP) hosted by the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service’s (IPS) Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership.

UT faculty, executives of state government, and private consultants led the intensive three-day, invitation-only program that focused on personal leadership, public sector services, strategic planning and management, ethics, and the state’s economy and infrastructure.

“LGLP gives elected and appointed government officials the opportunity to examine the best practices in leadership and to learn from their colleagues and counterparts across the state,” said Dr. Gary Peevely, who directs the Naifeh Center. “When local government officials participate in the program, studying common issues facing officials in East, Middle and West Tennessee allows LGLP participants to gain valuable knowledge and to share ideas. The participants’ conversations and advice brought by program faculty lead to new effective and efficient solutions for problems in their communities.”

For more than four decades, IPS has offered leadership programs that promote effective government through creative leadership, managerial effectiveness, professional skills enhancement and lifelong development for leaders and their organizations. With custom-designed programs for both local and state leaders, the Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership helps Tennessee’s government professionals meet the challenges of public service. LGLP participants are nominated by their peers, LGLP alumni or IPS staff.

“Through the extension outreach of the Institute, the university is committed to reaching across the state to help elected and appointed officials better serve citizens. Our faculty and consultants strive to be well-informed of current trends affecting our state in order to provide that outreach,” Peevely said.

Since its inception in 1991, more than 500 people have completed the Local Government Leadership Program. For further information, send questions to UTLeadership@Tennessee.edu or visit http://www.Leadership.Tennessee.edu.