CSAC Institute: Celebrate Independence Day with New Leadership Insights

The Institute is fortunate to have a leadership-expert network share their expertise across various content areas. This summer, join us for applied sessions on story-telling, leadership characteristics, resilience, and psychological safety. Learn more about these upcoming courses below.

July 18, 2025 – 127 Story-Telling: A Powerful Way to Communicate and Lead
9:00AM – 2:30PM on Zoom

Join us online and learn more about storytelling as a powerful way to communicate and lead. “Stories are captivating, data is necessary but totally insufficient. Data doesn’t drive people to action. Stories make data come alive. Stories pass on wisdom, cultivate values, and influence culture. Storytelling is a key competency for communicators and leaders.” Until August 2008, Dr. Frank Benest served as the City Manager of Palo Alto, California. Frank is a noted consultant and trainer on collaborative service delivery, entrepreneurial government, civic engagement, leadership development and succession planning.
Register here

August 8, 2025 – 155 Who Am I as a Leader?
9:00AM – 2:30PM on Zoom

The biggest variable in your department’s success is your leadership. This was true when you first promoted into a supervisory position and it’s still true today – although there are a few key differences. This class will evaluate how your values, strengths, and mindsets influence how you show up as a leader – and the results you get. You’ll define what success looks like for you as a leader and develop an action plan to help maximize your effectiveness as an executive leader. Dr. Jamie Crews is a certified Senior HR professional with nearly two decades of public sector HR experience. She specializes in strategic talent management with an emphasis in leadership and organizational development. Jamie helped establish the County of Orange’s first Organizational Development function and now serves as the Director of Learning & Organizational Development.
Register here

August 14, 2025 – GO1 Employee Resilience in Government
9:00AM – 2:30PM on Zoom

This course will explore the question of what resilience is at the individual level (in this case, employee). Why are resilient employees important for local government today? This course will explore how to talk about resilience with your employees, how to help them self-assess their resilience (and yours as a manager), and what government organizations can do to encourage, support, and/or develop the resilience of employees. Dr. Jessica Sowa is a professor of public policy and administration in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration at the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on public and nonprofit management, with an emphasis on the management of human resources (HRM) in government and nonprofit organizations, organizational effectiveness, and collaboration.
Register here

August 22, 2025 – 385 Psychological Safety in Public Service Environments
9:00AM – 2:30PM on Zoom

There is much reported about the need for psychological safety in workplace environments. What exactly is it? And, more importantly, how is it applied in public service organizations? This course explores both questions as it draws on the work of Brene Brown and Carol Dweck. Emphasis is placed on the complexities of county governance. Ana Estrada Daniels is the CEO and Founder of Anavo Solutions with over twenty years of experience working with individuals, teams, and organizations to develop their capacity to lead and influence at all levels. Ana has dedicated her career to helping individuals and organizations foster personal growth and develop the skills to drive team culture and engagement.
Register here