Local Government Academy

🌟 Local Government Academy Board Spotlight! 🌟

We want to highlight the amazing members of our Board of Directors and recognize the experience and leadership that they bring to the organization.

This week, we are featuring our Board Chair Dan Santoro!

Dan is the Manager at Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania and has been a valued member of our board since 2022.

Thank you Dan for your commitment to Promoting Excellence in Local Government!

Congratulations to our Board Chair Dan Santoro of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania for receiving the Career Recognition Award from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development!

Happy Local Government Week 2026!

We are proud to congratulate our Newly Elected Officials Course Graduates!
Check out the photos here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1B65fjbZqt/

NEOC 25-26 Graduation photos are officially here! 🎓 We are grateful for everyone who was part of this special day. Check them out and celebrate the moment:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Gec3WUWN1/

After completing over 40 hours of in-depth instruction, it is time to recognize the Newly Elected Officials Course, Class of 2026. Tonight, we celebrate the over 80 elected officials representing 49 municipalities across four counties, who came together to learn, collaborate, and strengthen the work of local government.
Starting last December, these officials attended Saturday classroom sessions and Wednesday evening webinars, to learn about municipal finance management, public sector personnel law, the Sunshine Act, ethical decision making, emergency services, and more. Their commitment highlights their dedication and an investment in building the knowledge and skills necessary to lead with integrity and effectively serve their communities.

A sincere thank you to our generous sponsors Allegheny County Government, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and Hope Water for helping make the Newly Elected Officials Course possible and for investing in the continued growth of our public servants.

The afternoon featured Jason Dailey from Dailey Operation Consulting who is a subject matter expert on Public Works Management. He emphasized the importance of strategic planning, risk management, and procurement, and shared best practices for improving community infrastructure and municipal services.

We wrapped up our day with Brittany Prischak, Director of the Department of Sustainability, Allegheny County Department of Sustainability. She spoke about the Allegheny County Climate Action Plan and prioritizing community-identified needs.

Huge shout-out to all of our speakers and to our newly elected officials for their continued focus on learning best practices and core responsibilities of local government.

Thank you again to our 2025-2026 NEOC sponsor Hope Water!

Our morning wrapped up with education on Community Infrastructure from Dennis J. Flynn, P.E. and Ryan Berner, GISP from Gateway Engineers. They discussed the importance of maintaining sanitary and stormwater infrastructure and how GIS Systems provide local governments with asset management solutions that can help with budgeting and reduce administrative burdens.

Today Local Government Academy is excited to welcome nearly 100 elected leaders to Session 6, our final session of the 2025–2026 Newly Elected Officials Course. NEOC provides a nonpartisan environment where participants strengthen their knowledge, leadership abilities, and commitment to public service. Shoutout to our Program Sponsor, Hope Water, and to our organizational sponsors, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and Allegheny County Government, for their ongoing support.

Thank you to our morning speakers Falco A. Muscante, Esq., and Thomas Esq. from MBM Law . Their presentation underscored the importance of maintaining professionalism in all communications based on what may or may not be considered a public record.