(Presented by APWA's 2017 Emerging Leaders Academy (ELA) Class)

APWA's Emerging Leaders Academy provides intensive leadership and management training within the context of public works. It encourages professional growth through a strong network of peers and offers an in-depth introduction to APWA at the national and chapter levels. As an element of their class project, the 2017 Emerging Leaders Academy (ELA) participants have investigated how public works departments can increase their presence and reputation within their communities. Their findings revolve around four major components:

Leadership: Explore the qualities of servant leadership and why this type of leader is successful in the public works environment.

Resilience: Consider how well your public works agency adapts to adversity and meets the challenges of disaster response and infrastructure resilience.

Outreach: By engaging the public through events, various forms of media, a strong outreach program empowers people of all walks of life to feel an emotional connection to public works and all the services provided to the community.

Technology: By using 21st century technology, including social media, public works is able to provide two-way exchanges of information, involving the public in collaborative

Learning Objectives:

Identify the type of leaders that can best serve your public works operation and the community at-large.
Discuss the importance of building resiliency into to public works infrastructure and services.
Develop a public outreach program that deploys social media and other communication strategies to increase the presence and reputation of public works with your community.

Sarah Terry

Vice President for the Young Professional's Committee, American Public Works Association (Southern California Chapter)

Appearances