About 100 local government officials from across the state will gather in Morgantown this weekend at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center to attend the Spring 2002 session of the West Virginia University Local Government Leadership Academy, coordinated by the WVU Institute for Public Affairs. The two-day session includes a series of three-hour workshops designed to develop and hone the leadership and governing skills of the states local officials.

On Saturday, participants will attend workshops on”Public Management and Leadership Skills”by David Williams, professor and chair of public administration, WVU ;”Waste Water Options for Local Governments”by Graham Knowles and Clement Solomon, National Environmental Services Center;”Financial Management”by Michael Dougherty, WVU Extension Services;”Conflict Resolution”by Robert Rubenstein, Marshall University Graduate College;”Strategic Planning”by Mary Hunt, the Benedum Foundation and Joe Barker, West Virginia Rural Development Council; and”Customer Satisfaction: Serving the Customers of Government in West Virginia”by Chuck Kinder, Office of the State Auditor.

Senators Brooks McCabe (D-Kanawha) and Michael Oliverio (D-Monongalia) highlight Sundays program by leading a discussion of regional economic development strategies for the state in”Economic Development Strategies for West Virginia: Regional Perspectives and Breakout Sessions.”

Their discussion follows a presentation by Randy Childs, of the WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research, detailing available resources at WVU for helping local governments develop a regional economic development plan.

McCabe chairs the state legislatures Joint Commission on Economic Development and will lead a discussion on creating a regional economic strategy for southern West Virginia. Oliverio is a member of the Joint Commission on Economic Development and will lead a discussion on developing a regional economic development strategy for northern West Virginia.

Other workshops offered on Sunday are:”Professional Conduct: Ethics, Open-Meetings, and Freedom of Information Act”by Lew Brewer, West Virginia Ethics Commission;”Personnel Management”by David Morrison and Christopher Slaughter, Steptoe and Johnson; and”Statewide Economic Development Strategies”by George Hammond, WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research, and David Satterfield, executive director of the West Virginia Development Office.

Saturdays program begins at 10 a.m. and concludes at 5:15; Sundays program begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 4:15.

The Institute for Public Affairs is a unit of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.