Professional Development Academy and National Association of Counties launch expanded partnership to support local government leaders

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Professional Development Academy (PDA), a nationally acclaimed training company for state, local and federal leaders, and the National Association of Counties (NACo) today announced an expanded partnership to help train 10,000 additional county leaders across the country over the next five years. PDA, a portfolio company of GovExec, the leading sales and marketing intelligence company for government leaders and contractors, has partnered with NACo, the association representing America’s 3,069 counties, boroughs and parishes, since 2018. During that time, nearly 15,000 county officials have completed courses focused on cybersecurity, AI, and leadership. 

“Since we began this partnership, NACo and PDA have built a suite of course offerings that deliver on our shared goal of empowering the next generation of local leaders to plan, implement, and sustain positive change in their communities,” said Luke Afeman, VP of Enrollment and Managing Director at PDA. “The curricula we’ve developed provide our critical local government leaders the tools they need to navigate an increasingly complex, tech-first world and deliver for their constituents. We are honored to be partners with NACo and look forward to this new cohort.”

“Counties are on the front lines of delivering essential services, and strong leadership is critical to meeting the needs of our residents,” said Paul Terragno, NACo EDGE Managing Director. “Our expanded partnership with the Professional Development Academy will equip thousands more county leaders with the skills, tools, and confidence to navigate complex challenges, embrace innovation, and drive meaningful change in their communities.”

The 12-week NACo High Performance Leadership Academy consists of fully online lessons guided by experienced leadership coaches and offered through PDA’s learning management platform. In addition to leadership lessons from the likes of General Colin Powell, Fortune 1000 CEOs, and other top public and private executives, the academy features interactive sessions that dive into specific areas of concern for county leaders including the power of mindset and positive leadership strategies, effective change management and resource alignment to meaning and purpose, collaboration and negotiation techniques to achieve mutual gains, and more. One West Virginia county official described the course as “an exceptional opportunity to gain insights into leadership skills”; an Alabama official said that “This program will provide you the tools you need to take your performance as a manager, leader, and person to another level.”

The partnership between PDA and NACo supports individual county leaders as well as larger groups, with the potential to secure significant discounts for larger groups of enrollees. The final cohort of the 2025 High Performance Leadership Academy kicks off September 15. Interested leaders can learn more here.

About Professional Development Academy

Professional Development Academy provides market leading leadership development services and technology to leaders of government and corporate entities. PDA enables the exchange of best practices between executives to make existing leaders better and help emerging leaders prepare to address the myriad of challenges facing them today and in the future. Offering curriculums covering several leadership development areas, including High Performance Leadership, Enterprise Cybersecurity, AI Leadership, and more, the Professional Development Academy serves businesses, government agencies at the federal, state, county, and city levels. Today, more than two-thirds of counties across the U.S. rely on the PDA leadership programs for professional development among their existing and emerging leaders.

About the National Association of Counties

The National Association of Counties (NACo) strengthens America’s counties, including nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees. Founded in 1935, NACo unites county officials to advocate for county government priorities in federal policymaking; promote exemplary county policies and practices; nurture leadership skills and expand knowledge networks; optimize county and taxpayer resources and cost savings; and enrich the public’s understanding of county government. www.naco.org

Points of Contact for Additional Information:

Luke Afeman
VP, Enrollment & Managing Director, Professional Development Academy, GovExec
lukea@pdaleadership.com 

Spencer Taylor
National Director of Operations, NACo EDGE
staylor@naco.org 

Media Contact:

Hayley Lynch
hlynch@govexec.com