The City of Great Bend announced the graduation of three employees from the Kansas University Certified Public Management Program (CPM). The employees that graduated last Friday, Dec. 1 include Jason Cauley – Public Works Director, Sreehitha (Hitha) Kadiyala - Assistant City Engineer and for the Law Enforcement Leadership Academy (LELA) division of CPM was Heather Smith – Lieutenant of the Detective Division.
The CPM Program is a nationally accredited management and certification program committed to developing exceptional public managers. The Heartland Certified Public Manager® (CPM) program is the flagship program at the KUPMC and provides professional development for public service professionals in Kansas and Missouri. This is a 300-hour course for professionals in federal, state, or local government that provide public services and meet community needs. The LELA is a similar program strictly geared toward law enforcement professionals and issues. This course includes a personal capstone project that ultimately works on a real issue within their organization.
City Administrator Brandon Anderson said, “We are so proud of our CPM graduates! I’m a big promoter for helping our leaders lead through effective management practices and this certification is the best of the best for our state. On behalf of myself, city council and staff we wish a big congrats to Jason, Hitha and Heather for their accomplishment!”
For more information on the CPM program visit the website https://kupmc.ku.edu/programs/cpm. Great Bend intends to host this class in 2025 for interested leaders.