The opening class for the Virginia County Certified Supervisors’ Program course was held on Friday, March 17 at the Albemarle County Government Center. Dr. Mike Chandler, Virginia Tech Professor Emeritus, and Dr. Martha Walker, Virginia Cooperative Extension Community Viability Specialist, led the class titled, “Managing While Leading: Understanding Your Powers, Duties and Responsibilities.” Attendees discussed differences between managing and leading and did exercises defining different leadership roles.
Prince Edward County Supervisor Dr. Odessa Pride said of the class, “I enjoyed the class in such an awesome manner on Friday because it gave all members of the class the opportunity to share individualized information about themselves as it pertained to their perspective districts. We all became aware of the fact (as if we weren’t before) that we all have pressing issues and concerns in our districts, and information shared by all participants can assist everyone in addressing those concerns. Mike and Martha were excellent instructors and made everyone feel valuable to discussions. We learned that leadership and management work in a collaborative manner.”
Albemarle County Supervisor Rick Randolph added, “I found Friday’s discussion about the dissimilarities between leading and managing to be the most productive portion of the class. I was immediately reminded how valuable these classes are to the self-awareness and self-discovery needed for one to become a more effective and more productive supervisor.”
Students were sent home with their reading assignments and homework for the next eight weeks and will gather again on May 12 for the concluding course. The next class, titled “Funding Public Services: The Role of Budgeting” starts June 2 and ends July 28. Both classes will be held at the Albemarle County Administration Building. For more information, or to register for that course, click here or call Amy Sales at 804.788.6652.
VACo Contact: Amy V. Sales, CMP