Thirteen executives, managers, and professionals graduated from the Flagler County Local Government Leadership Academy during a special ceremony Thursday (June 11) at the Sheriff Rick Staly Law Enforcement Center.
This graduating class marks a historic milestone for the academy as the first class to include representatives from every major local government organization in Flagler County. Participants came together from Flagler County government, all three municipalities—Palm Coast, Flagler Beach, and Bunnell—Flagler Schools, and every Constitutional Office, including the Clerk of Court & Comptroller, Sheriff, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, and Supervisor of Elections.
The achievement reflects a countywide commitment to leadership excellence and collaborative public service. Local government–assuming it continues to be funded–has a direct impact on the quality of life of every resident. From public safety and infrastructure to education, elections, financial stewardship, and customer service, local government works every day to serve the community. Citizens deserve government that is professional, innovative, accountable, responsive, and focused on delivering the highest level of service in the most effective and efficient manner possible. By investing in leadership development across all local government organizations, Flagler County is strengthening its ability to meet those expectations and serve its citizens well into the future.
The graduates are:
- Shannon Burnett, Flagler County Board of County Commissioners
- Jannet Dewberry, Flagler County Clerk of Court & Comptroller’s Office
- Brian Finn, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office
- Amanda Gilbert, Flagler County Board of County Commissioners
- Doug Glasco, Flagler Schools
- Tina Haney, Flagler County Tax Collector’s Office
- Leslie Jantzen, Flagler County Tax Collector’s Office
- Colleen Kuhn, City of Flagler Beach
- Robert Martin, City of Palm Coast
- Joe Parsons, City of Bunnell
- Karen Sousa, Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Office
- James Walters, Flagler County Tax Collector’s Office
- Bryan Zuck, Flagler County Property Appraiser’s Office
Now in its seventh year, the Flagler County Local Government Leadership Academy has earned national recognition through an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties and has graduated more than 125 public servants who serve as elected officials, senior administrators, managers, supervisors, and professionals throughout Flagler County.
The academy is a partnership between Daytona State College, the Flagler County Tax Collector’s Office, and local governments throughout the County. Graduates receive a certificate of completion from Daytona State College. Michael Scheck, Director of the Center for Business & Industry at Daytona State College, attended the ceremony and conferred certificates upon the graduates.
The intensive four-month executive education program meets weekly and is designed to develop the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to effectively lead organizations and deliver exceptional public service. Participants study leadership, human resources, budgeting, risk management, customer service, organizational culture, teamwork, program evaluation, and best practices in local government. Students also complete extensive reading assignments, research projects, presentations, and real-world leadership exercises.
“Leadership is not about position. It’s about influence, trust, vision, and elevating others,” said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. “My challenge to these graduates is to be the leaders you would want to follow.”
Dr. Joe Saviak, who taught the academy, praised the graduates for their commitment to public service.
“I have over four decades of experience with local government in Florida. I could not be more impressed with the caliber and character of these graduates,” said Saviak. “They are innovative problem-solvers deeply devoted to the communities and citizens they serve. The residents of Flagler County can be grateful and proud that they heard and answered the call to devote their lives and careers to public service.”
Flagler County Tax Collector Shelly Edmonson, who coordinated the academy and hosted classes at the Tax Collector’s Office, said the program reflects a shared commitment among local governments to invest in their people and strengthen public service.
“We all strongly believe in investing in our teams to make sure they are the best at what they do each day for the citizens of Flagler County,” said Edmonson. “Our citizens deserve local government that is effective, efficient, responsive, and accountable. This academy helps develop the leaders who will drive innovation, solve problems, work collaboratively across organizations, and ensure we are delivering the highest quality services possible to the people of Flagler County.
This historic class demonstrates what can be accomplished when every local government organization comes together to invest in leadership excellence and collaborative service to our community.”
The participation of all local government entities in this year’s academy reflects a shared commitment to excellence. While each organization has distinct responsibilities, they are united by a common mission: serving the citizens of Flagler County. Through collaboration, continuous improvement, and leadership development, these agencies are working together to ensure local government remains effective, efficient, innovative, and focused on meeting the needs of the community.
The academy continues to serve as a model for leadership development and intergovernmental collaboration, helping prepare the next generation of public-sector leaders dedicated to serving the citizens of Flagler County.
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