By Tommy Royston
The USC Price School of Public Policy in Sacramento hosted a participant recognition ceremony for 58 graduates of the Los Angeles County Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) on USC University Park campus on Oct. 30. In addition to Price School staff and faculty, ELDP participants were joined by elected officials and L.A. County department heads and directors.
Opening the evening, USC Price Professor Bob Denhardt, co-director of the program, shared the importance of celebrating major accomplishments and read a few excerpts from his latest book Just Plain Good Management.
The ceremony represented the culmination of a rigorous 14-week curriculum. Participants honed their leadership and management stills through in-person and online instruction, course assignments, group projects and executive coaching — all of which was done while serving as senior public administrators within the county, ranging from assistant fire chief to the director of communicable disease control and prevention.
During the event, L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas spoke passionately about the role of public administrators and how this program prepares future leaders. He noted that these graduates are the people who are and will continue to make a difference in the county.
Other speakers included Lisa Garrett, director of personnel; Santos Kreimann, deputy chief executive officer; Epi Peinado, chief deputy director, department of human resources; Paul Danczyk, director of executive education for USC Price in Sacramento, and several ELDP graduates: Terri Williams, assistant deputy director of environmental health; Jim Allen, division manager, internal services department; and Portia Sanders, division manager, registrar-recorder/county clerk.
The evening concluded with a reception at USC’s Davidson Conference Center.
To learn more about executive education programs offered through the Price School in Sacramento, contact Paul Danczyk, Director of Executive Education at [email protected] or visit www.usc.edu/sacto.