Legislative staff participants gain valuable insights during LSMI’s eight-day program of highly-interactive seminars, discussions and team-building exercises with leading faculty and trainers from throughout the country. The focus is on knowing and understanding the challenges of managing in the legislative setting.
LSMI gives staff new tools to make them more effective in their work and offers opportunities for personal growth and renewal.
Program Overview
The LSMI Program developed by The University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy and the California State University Sacramento Center for California Studies focuses on practical application of concepts and tools that legislative staff can use to meet the increasingly complex policy and management demands that confront American state legislatures throughout the country.

2023 Program Schedule and Location
July 21 – July 28, 2023
USC Price School in Sacramento
1800 I St.
Sacramento, CA 95811
2023 Tuition Rates
$3,400
— A senior manager in the Arkansas Legislature
“I can unequivocally say that nearly every aspect of my personal and professional life has been positively and permanently influenced by the knowledge I gained from LSMI and its exceptional instructors.”
Who is this program designed for?
The LSMI curriculum is designed for both senior legislative staff members plus those on their way to such positions. The curriculum is demanding and the admissions committee (the USC and Sacramento State Directors) seeks senior and up-and-coming staffers who can benefit most from a challenging practical and academic experience. Acceptance into the program is competitive.
Appropriate candidates include partisan and non-partisan staff who currently hold critical management positions or are likely to in the future. Essential qualities for any participant are a commitment to public service in a legislature and an aptitude for the challenges which LSMI offers.
What you should know
- Interactive seminars with experience-based learning for eight days
- Executive coaching with a certified executive coach.
- Legislative content specific to current issues and staff.
- Management processes for leadership and personal growth.
- Group activities outside of the conference room.
What you will learn:
- How to better understand yourself as a Leader
- Mindfulness
- How to develop consensus among employees and constituents
- Learn how to bring balance and equity to the workplace
What you can do with this learning experience/how will it help you:
This program is designed to give participants the tools to be better, more effective leaders within the legislative institution. One of those tools is the Leadership Energizes! 360-degree leadership assessment tool which provides a snapshot of your leadership profile.
List of topics (and descriptions) to be covered:
- Influence and negotiation in the legislative context
- Navigating risk in professional settings
- Your leadership/behavioral style
- Developing collaboration