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KU announces Kansas Certified Public Manager Program 2020 graduates
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LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas Public Management Center has announced the graduates of the Kansas Certified Public Manager (CPM) program. The graduation ceremony was held virtually in December 2020 for COVID-19 safety reasons. Dale Dennis, retired deputy education commissioner and the 2020 Native Sons and Daughters Kansan of the Year, delivered remarks to the graduates.  

Local graduates are: Austin LaViolette, City of Great Bend; Jordan Harrison, Russell Police Department; and David Adam, St. John Police Department. 

The nearly 70 graduates, who began their coursework in January 2020, represent local, county, state and federal agencies from across Kansas. Their classes took place online after the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

Of these participants, 20 are graduates of the Law Enforcement Leadership Academy (LELA) Command School who completed their CPM certification through classroom instruction and online work. They were recognized in mid-November by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center and were also included in the virtual CPM graduation ceremony.

“The Kansas CPM program is a dynamic and engaging certification program of 300 contact hours that uses a capstone project as the final exam and course materials that inspire new ways of thinking and innovative approaches to solving problems,” said Terri Callahan, program manager.

“I am always very impressed with the caliber and dedication of the CPM graduates. Their love for public service and leadership is evident by their commitment and dedication to their organizations, communities and the citizens they serve. This year, this class faced and rebounded from adversity that no one expected. I will always remember the class of 2020.” 

Callahan will also remember the class for being her last. After 17 years as program director, she retired at the end of the year. Tarik Khatib, former Lawrence police chief and current program manager for the Law Enforcement Leadership Academy at the PMC, will take over as CPM program manager. 

The Kansas CPM program is a professional education opportunity for managers working in government agencies, nonprofits and organizations that contract to provide public services and meet community needs. CPM is a nationally accredited management program and certification in which participants develop and strengthen their management skills through a competency-based curriculum. Close to 1,800 CPM graduates have earned the nationally recognized emblem of management excellence through the Kansas program.

The CPM program can fill a training gap for staff with significant technical expertise who seek to further their knowledge of current management practices. The Kansas program offers a blended learning approach of classroom hours, online learning and outside assignments to meet 300 hours of structured learning. The curriculum addresses personal and organizational integrity, managing work, leading people, developing self, public service and leadership during times of change. Along the way, participants complete a capstone project focused on an opportunity for cost savings, revenue generation, process improvement or innovation in their workplace.