There was a little pomp and circumstance at the start of the regular meeting of the County Commission on Monday (June 21) when the second cohort of the Flagler County Leadership Academy graduated during a brief ceremony.
Eighteen students – representing the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, the Flagler County Tax Collector’s Office, and Flagler Schools – were recognized for completing this leadership development program.
“We have learned and reinforced the notion that to be successful, we must foster teamwork by building strong relationships within our team,” said Emergency Management Planner Nealon Joseph, class valedictorian. “We learned the answer to the question posed to us at the start of our program. To be as a leader, means to sacrifice. It means putting the needs of others, your organization and your community over your personal wants and needs.”
County Administrator Jerry Cameron and Dr. Joe Saviak – an independent consultant who previously taught Public Administration at Flagler College – facilitated the program. The materials and methodology of the Academy are in line with graduate level-coursework, and the program is structured like those undertaken by Fortune 500 companies.
The Flagler County Leadership Academy was honored last month with a National Association of Counties (NACo) 2021 Achievement Award in the category of County Administration and Management.
Cameron thanked the board for its support of the program.
“It’s beyond a pleasure to introduce the class of 2021. This is the high point of what I do here,” he said.
The rigorous curriculum was designed to develop the potential of top-tier staff, to further professionalize the agencies, and to establish succession planning. The course of study utilized an intimate class size to promote a high level of student engagement. More than 40 hours of external training included opportunities to participate in executive level planning and issue resolution.
“On behalf of my fellow classmates, I wish to express our deepest gratitude to not only Professor Cameron and Professor Saviak but to this board and Flagler County’s Sheriff’s Office, Tax Collector’s Office and School Board for your joint cooperation, support and investment in the successful future of your team and our public servants,” Joseph said. “You are the embodiment of the academy’s motto: ‘Achieving success through the success of others.’”
Flagler County Leadership Academy 2021 Graduates: Matt Adams; Jordan Butler; Holly Durrance; Nathan Hockenberry; Nealon Joseph; Joe King; Michael Lagasse; Gina Lemon; Trevor Martin; Christina Mortimer; Michael Orlando; Ashlee Ouellette; Darlene Pardiny; Tishia Peterson; Ryan Prevatt; Roy Sieger; Amy Stroger; and, Jason Wheeler.
“Flagler County will be served well into the future, because of the effort they put in here,” Cameron said.
