Government executives concluded an eight-month National Forum of Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) professional development course with over two days of leadership training provided by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

Officials from local governments in Texas, Florida and the District of Columbia ended coursework in the NFBPA Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) with a customized training session with Institute of Government faculty Feb. 27–March 1. The ELI participants later delivered capstone presentations at the NFBPA 2019 Forum and were recognized for successfully completing the ELI program.

ELI is a professional development program for senior-level public servants with state and local governments from across the United States. Classes are held over eight months, hosted by universities throughout the United States.

This year’s 14-member group explored the normative foundations of public administration, problem solving and decision-making, and ethics for public leaders with Institute of Government faculty. Full-day courses were held at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education.

Derrick Corker, parks and recreation director with the City of North Miami, Fla., said he learned practical skills he will use in managing a department with 205 employees and 23 public facilities.

“As a leader, you need to know when you’re not the expert and when to allow others to lend their expertise, and when to step back to look at the bigger picture. That’s one thing I got out of this, how to see the bigger picture,” Corker said.

“The Executive Leadership Institute has been very helpful to me,” he added. “It gives you a better feel for what you’re trying to accomplish.”

This marked the third consecutive year that NFBPA engaged the Institute of Government to provide the final classes in the ELI program. NFBPA has already arranged for the Vinson Institute to provide next year’s final ELI session in Athens, according to faculty member Mara Shaw, who manages the Institute of Government’s Leadership Development Program.

“The feedback from the leadership of the NFBPA has been extremely positive, and we are honored they want to continue this exciting leadership development partnership with the Institute of Government,” Shaw said.