Professional Development Academy and National Association of Counties launch expanded partnership to support local government leaders
Upcoming Events
Related News
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
J.D. Clark is up to a Texas-sized challenge
NACo's new president got his start in county government covering meetings for his local newspaper as a high school student.
NFL veteran harnesses magic and forgiveness to overcome adversity
No matter what the world throws at you, it’s up to you to chart your own path, NFL veteran and magician Jon Dorenbos told the NACo Annual Conference attendees.
Leading with purpose: Lessons from a four-star general
What do a county leader and a four-star general have in common? More than you might think.
AI offers counties potential for hiring, retention
Despite employees’ concerns over the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence adoption in the job market, workforce professionals maintain optimism that the technology, still in its infancy, could lead to better services and products from the public sector.
County government attracts a new generation
Despite their generation’s online predilections, this pair of Gen Z county elected officials took a traditional approach to their campaigns.
Leading Your County's Digital Transformation
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET
The digital era is upon us, and it has many leaders challenged by the digital transformation in front of them. NACo CIO Rita Reynolds and Dr. Tim Rahschulte, the chief architects of NACo’s AI Leadership Academy training program, are hosting this webinar to share insights and ideas on how some leaders are harnessing the power of digital products, services and processes to do more with less.
Rita and Tim will demystify the digital era by looking to the past and providing insights into the future – that is, in many ways, predictable. Join this webinar to explore the key elements of digital transformation and learn practical strategies to prepare for the digital future. To be sure, this digital future is not all about technology. The digital era is also about meeting customer expectations, employee accommodations and leveraging models to operate the business of government. We will explore together the importance of building a digital-ready organization and the need for skilling employees to meet new demands of new work.
This webinar is brought to you by NACo EDGE, establishing people, purchasing, and performance cost-saving solutions that can be applied to counties nationwide. EDGE is owned by NACo, advised by county leaders and 100% focused on solutions for U.S. Counties. Learn more about NACo EDGE here.
Robert's Rules 102: Advancing Your Meeting Mastery for Effective Governance
Learn to minimize disruptions, establish proper procedures and apply Robert's Rules to real-life parliamentary examples.
New BRECC Toolkit: Coal Communities’ Pathways for Economic Diversification
Join the BRECC National Network to learn how coal counties are diversifying their economies through increasing housing supply, providing innovative workforce development opportunities and revitalizing downtowns.
Public Education Strategies to Tackle County Challenges: Mental Health, Workforce, and Gun Violence
Join us for an insightful webinar with the Ad Council as they share their best practices on leveraging public education to help counties tackle three urgent challenges: the mental health crisis, workforce development, and gun violence prevention.
2025 NCCAE Annual Meeting
The National Council of County Association Executives (NCCAE) provides a vehicle through which its membership improves the administration of the various associations of counties and associations of county officials and provides a forum through which members meet and exchange information of importance.