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Connecticut Municipal Leadership Academy

Member Benefits Education Connecticut Municipal Leadership Academy

CONNECTICUT MUNICIPAL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

Welcome to CCM's new Connecticut Municipal Leadership Academy. In a commitment to continually valuing your professional development, we have designed a two-track educational program designed to enhance the development and leadership skills of municipal members. CCM understands how valuable professional development can be. Continuing education is not only important for your current position, but also to your career path. This training program offers two paths: Certified Connecticut Municipal Official (CCMO) and the Certified Civic Policy Leader (CCPL).
Both programs take 2 years to complete.

The Certified Civic Policy Leader Certification is an elevated certificate in partnership with UCONN School of Public Policy. Members earning their CCPL must have a CCMO certification as a prerequisite in order to enroll. Members will need to attend in-person PSELC workshops. One training in each of the three developmental categories.

Members must attend the in-person PSELC workshops at UCONN Hartford or UCONN Stamford campuses that occur during the academic year (September - May) from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Our training is intended to teach you how to work collaboratively, solve problems, build partnerships, and work across political and organizational boundaries. CCM encourages elected and appointed officials to utilize municipal training workshops, conferences, special meetings, and other educational opportunities to expand their knowledge and enhance important leadership skills through education.

To reward your commitment to furthering your education, CCM proudly welcomes you to the Connecticut Municipal Leadership Academy. Where you can become a Certified Connecticut Municipal Official and excel to a Certified Civic Policy Leader.

Philosophy of the Program

The job of a municipal official is complicated and demanding. To be successful officials need special skills and knowledge, but they also must be competent in a variety of areas. By designing this program to focus on you, your organization and your community, we will help you achieve a standard of excellence.

The program will blend the best from the worlds of practice and theory. Training sessions will be led by associations, recognized experts and college faculty, with lengthy experience and insights needed to help you build the required skills for your demanding job.

Completion and Continuing Education

Completion
Upon completion of the coursework CCMO (18 hours of study) CCPL (36 hours of study), municipal officials and policy leaders will be recognized and honored for their achievement. A press release which highlights the accomplishments will also be issued as well as a story featured in our bi-monthly magazine, Connecticut Town and City.

Continuing Education
To maintain certification, you must pay a continuing education fee of $75 (CCMO) and $100 (CCPL) every January. You will then have the full calendar year to complete 9 hours of study (3 workshops/webinars CCMO) 12 hours of study (1 PSELC workshop 3 webinars/workshops CCPL).

Provisions

Attendance at CCM’s Annual Convention, Emergency Management Symposium, and Women in Government Summit account for three hours per event.
Workshop topics/offerings may vary. Sessions may be added or deleted from the schedule.
Additional educational opportunities will be announced.

Connecticut Leadership Academy

Learn more about our new education and training program and hear from Michelle Benivegna, Town Manager for the Town of Clinton, as she shares the benefits of becoming a CCMO.

Municipal Training Certificates

Certified Connecticut Municipal Official

Participants must complete 18 hours of study within two years from their start date. You must complete at least 6 credit hours (the equivalent to two workshops) from each of the three developmental categories: Personal Development, Organizational Development, and Community Development. The knowledge and skills gained through the CCMO program are a vital tool for success in local government.

Certified Civic Policy Leader

Participants must complete 36 hours of study within two years from their start date. You must complete 18 credit hours attending UCONN PSLEC workshops from each of the three developmental categories: Personal Development, Organizational Development, and Community Development. Participants must attend 3 CCM workshops and 3 CCM webinars. Upon completing the required trainings, participants must complete an exit survey to receive certification.

Enrollment Period

CCMO Enrollment Schedule

Start Date: January 1 Enrollment Period: November 1 – December 31 Start Date: July 1 Enrollment Period: May 1 – June 30

CCPL Enrollment Schedule

Start Date: July 1 Enrollment Period: July 1 – August 31

Please note: Only classes/sessions/workshops/webinars taken after the program start date (January 1 or July 1) count toward your certification.

How to Enroll

Enrolling is easy! During the two enrollment periods, new participants can sign up by completing the following steps:

Log in to your CCM account.
Once logged in, click on your name at the top of the page to access your dashboard.
From your dashboard, click on Certification Enrollment on the left side of the screen.
Review and agree to the Terms and Conditions.
Select Pay Now to complete the transaction. The enrollment fee is $150 for CCMO, $300 FOR CCPL.

Please note, eligible classes will not begin to accrue until July 1st.

If the option for Certification Enrollment does not appear on your dashboard, please contact us at ccmtraining@ccm-ct.org.

After you fill out the form below, CCM will process your enrollment and you will receive an invoice for the $150 enrollment.

Please note, fill out the below form for May 1 - June 30, 2025 enrollment only,

Developmental Categories

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

The focus in this area will be on developing your community by bringing together citizens and municipal officials to enhance civic life. You’ll learn about the economic, financial, and planning realities of downtown development. Related to this important topic is understanding how to market your community and how to get city hall ready to encourage private investment in your community. On a broader scale you’ll learn how to develop a vision for your community by developing realistic plans. And of course there will be training on core municipal services, from audits to zoning.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

This area will focus on your development, helping you be an ethical leader who builds trust with people. You’ll learn how to build consensus, become an effective negotiator, and how to collaborate to solve problems. Just as important, we’ll teach you how to improve your skill at public engagement.

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

In this area, we will focus on enhancing your municipal organization to provide optimal public services. You’ll understand the municipal budget not only as a spending plan, but also as an important public policy document for your municipality. The notion of “customer service” will not only be explained but how to improve it will be a key component of the training. Understanding the municipal work place, the role of unions, and personnel laws will be an important part of certification training.

Graduates