Illinois Township Management Academy
The Illinois Association of Township Administrators (IATA), the Illinois Township Association of Senior Citizens Services Committees (ITASCSC), and the Association of Illinois Township Committees on Youth (AITCOY), have partnered with the Northern Illinois University (NIU) Division of Public Administration and the NIU Center for Governmental Studies to offer township professional staff in Illinois the opportunity to participate in four professional management workshops for the past eight years.
The sessions for last year were held on Friday, October 12 and Friday, October 19, 2018 at the NIU-Naperville campus. The topics included addressing sexual harassment and creating a positive workplace culture, responding to vulnerable populations in your community, preparing for and responding to emergencies (including active threat scenarios), and conflict management. You can register for individual sessions or for the entire academy. Lunch is included for those who register for both morning and afternoon sessions. Continuing education units are available for those interested. Additional details are available through the information and registration link below or by contacting mpeddle@niu.edu.
Registration link:
2018 Illinois Township Management Academy
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Addressing Sexual Harassment and Creating a Positive Workplace Culture
Presented by Deborah Haliczer, MSSW, LCSW, Assistant Vice President for Employee Relations (retired), Northern Illinois University and Toni Tollerud, Ph.D., Distinguished Teaching Professor Emerita; Counseling, Adult, and Higher Education, Former Faculty Personnel Adviser, Northern Illinois University
Interpersonal relations in a work environment are extremely important and have received even more attention in the wake of the #METOO movement, increasing diversity in the workforce, changes in the meaning of the workplace in a 21st century technology driven world, and changing job functions and roles in providing goods and services in today’s economy. This session draws upon the expertise of nationally and internationally known experts on workplace interactions and challenges. Helpful information will include how to manage and interact in the workplace so as to create a positive and supportive culture, how to identify and manage situations that can lead to a hostile workplace environment, how to manage changing attitudes and norms in the workplace, and the special challenges of a more diverse workforce for a respectful and positive work environment. Special consideration will be given to lessons from the #METOO movement and other contemporary issues related to consciously assessing and achieving a positive workplace culture.
Responding to Vulnerable Populations in Your Community
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Responding to Vulnerable Populations in Your Community
Presented by Dr. Adrienne Holloway, Chief Innovation Officer, City of Aurora
Local government is the level of government that is closest to its constituents and most responsible for providing direct services to individuals and groups. Township governments are no exception, with general assistance, elder care services, passport services, mental health services, and road services among examples provided by townships in the greater Chicago area. One key challenge for local governments is how to identify and be responsive to the needs of vulnerable populations in their communities. This session draws upon the expertise of the recently created innovation office in Illinois’ second largest municipality, the City of Aurora. Aurora’s diversity across almost every traditional demographic category provides challenges for targeting service delivery to especially vulnerable populations in the community. Insights will be provided regarding identifying vulnerable populations, structuring an innovation team for your local government; leveraging the existing resources in your local government, as well as overlapping governments and community organizations; prioritizing interventions; and measuring the success of targeting services to vulnerable populations.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2018
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Preparing for and Responding to Emergencies
(In partnership with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency)
Presented by TBA
Workplace and public venue violence incidents have been notable in recent years. Whether an outdoor concert in Las Vegas or county government offices in San Bernardino or school shootings in almost every corner of the United States, organizations seek appropriate responses to the threats of active shooter incidents through changes in physical environment, emergency planning, and education. This session focuses on what townships can do to be prepared for active shooter threats in their organizations’ offices or program delivery sites. Experts will provide training on crisis response, threat awareness, risk management, and individual response during an active shooter scenario.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2018
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Conflict Management: Creating Win-Win Outcomes in your Organization
Presented by Michael Peddle, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Public Administration, Former Associate Dean for Academic Administration, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Northern Illinois University
Government is faced with the challenge of doing more with less resources. This includes restructuring organizations and reinventing service delivery. Many governments have had to reduce their personnel while attempting to serve a growing demand for services and customer management. This session addresses the challenges of human resource management in a time of retrenchment and strategies for creating win-win outcomes in times of fiscal stress. While organized as a stand-alone session, this final session of the 2018 Academy will also provide a capstone experience for professionals who have attended the other sessions. Different approaches to negotiation and bargaining will be considered, as will targeting resources to areas of greatest need and managing the inevitable personnel conflicts that occur as organizations downsize and refocus.
Past Illinois Township Management Academy Workshops Offered
The sessions for last year were held on Friday, October 12 and Friday, October 19, 2018 at the NIU-Naperville campus. The topics included addressing sexual harassment and creating a positive workplace culture, responding to vulnerable populations in your community, preparing for and responding to emergencies (including active threat scenarios), and conflict management. You can register for individual sessions or for the entire academy. Lunch is included for those who register for both morning and afternoon sessions. Continuing education units are available for those interested. Additional details are available through the information and registration link below or by contacting mpeddle@niu.edu.
Registration link:
2018 Illinois Township Management Academy
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Addressing Sexual Harassment and Creating a Positive Workplace Culture
Presented by Deborah Haliczer, MSSW, LCSW, Assistant Vice President for Employee Relations (retired), Northern Illinois University and Toni Tollerud, Ph.D., Distinguished Teaching Professor Emerita; Counseling, Adult, and Higher Education, Former Faculty Personnel Adviser, Northern Illinois University
Interpersonal relations in a work environment are extremely important and have received even more attention in the wake of the #METOO movement, increasing diversity in the workforce, changes in the meaning of the workplace in a 21st century technology driven world, and changing job functions and roles in providing goods and services in today’s economy. This session draws upon the expertise of nationally and internationally known experts on workplace interactions and challenges. Helpful information will include how to manage and interact in the workplace so as to create a positive and supportive culture, how to identify and manage situations that can lead to a hostile workplace environment, how to manage changing attitudes and norms in the workplace, and the special challenges of a more diverse workforce for a respectful and positive work environment. Special consideration will be given to lessons from the #METOO movement and other contemporary issues related to consciously assessing and achieving a positive workplace culture.
Responding to Vulnerable Populations in Your Community
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Responding to Vulnerable Populations in Your Community
Presented by Dr. Adrienne Holloway, Chief Innovation Officer, City of Aurora
Local government is the level of government that is closest to its constituents and most responsible for providing direct services to individuals and groups. Township governments are no exception, with general assistance, elder care services, passport services, mental health services, and road services among examples provided by townships in the greater Chicago area. One key challenge for local governments is how to identify and be responsive to the needs of vulnerable populations in their communities. This session draws upon the expertise of the recently created innovation office in Illinois’ second largest municipality, the City of Aurora. Aurora’s diversity across almost every traditional demographic category provides challenges for targeting service delivery to especially vulnerable populations in the community. Insights will be provided regarding identifying vulnerable populations, structuring an innovation team for your local government; leveraging the existing resources in your local government, as well as overlapping governments and community organizations; prioritizing interventions; and measuring the success of targeting services to vulnerable populations.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2018
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Preparing for and Responding to Emergencies
(In partnership with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency)
Presented by TBA
Workplace and public venue violence incidents have been notable in recent years. Whether an outdoor concert in Las Vegas or county government offices in San Bernardino or school shootings in almost every corner of the United States, organizations seek appropriate responses to the threats of active shooter incidents through changes in physical environment, emergency planning, and education. This session focuses on what townships can do to be prepared for active shooter threats in their organizations’ offices or program delivery sites. Experts will provide training on crisis response, threat awareness, risk management, and individual response during an active shooter scenario.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2018
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Conflict Management: Creating Win-Win Outcomes in your Organization
Presented by Michael Peddle, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Public Administration, Former Associate Dean for Academic Administration, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Northern Illinois University
Government is faced with the challenge of doing more with less resources. This includes restructuring organizations and reinventing service delivery. Many governments have had to reduce their personnel while attempting to serve a growing demand for services and customer management. This session addresses the challenges of human resource management in a time of retrenchment and strategies for creating win-win outcomes in times of fiscal stress. While organized as a stand-alone session, this final session of the 2018 Academy will also provide a capstone experience for professionals who have attended the other sessions. Different approaches to negotiation and bargaining will be considered, as will targeting resources to areas of greatest need and managing the inevitable personnel conflicts that occur as organizations downsize and refocus.
Past Illinois Township Management Academy Workshops Offered