LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Public Management Center has announced its new class of graduates of the Heartland Certified Public Manager (CPM) program.
The graduation ceremony took place Dec. 3, 2021, in the House Chamber of the Kansas Capitol. Ed O’Malley, president and CEO of the Kansas Leadership Center, delivered remarks to the graduates.
More than 80 graduates, representing local, county, state or federal agencies from across Kansas, began their coursework in January 2021. They participated in classes held in Lawrence, Park City and the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in Hutchinson. For the first time in the course’s 28-year history, a fully online cohort also graduated, joining the other cohorts at the Capitol and meeting each other and their instructors for the first time in person.
Of these participants, approximately 20 are graduates of the Law Enforcement Leadership Academy (LELA) Command School who completed their CPM certification through classroom instruction and online work. They were recognized in November by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center and were also included in the CPM graduation ceremony.
“The Kansas CPM program is a dynamic and engaging certification program of 300 contact hours that uses a capstone project as the final exam and course materials that inspire new ways of thinking and innovative approaches to public sector problem-solving,” said Deb Miller, the Public Management Center’s director.
“I am always very impressed with the caliber and dedication of the CPM graduates. Their love for public service and leadership is evident by their commitment to their organizations, communities and the citizens they serve,” Miller said. “While the 2020 class faced the challenge of completing CPM virtually, this year’s class had the adaptive challenge of starting virtually, switching to meeting in-person but always being prepared to pivot to online instruction if COVID infections became a problem. Luckily, the safety guidelines we put in place allowed for in-person instruction to the very end of the year.”
The Heartland CPM program is a professional education opportunity for managers working in government agencies, nonprofits and organizations that contract to provide public services and meet community needs. CPM is a nationally accredited management program and certification in which participants develop and strengthen their management skills through a competency-based curriculum. Close to 1,800 CPM graduates have earned the nationally recognized emblem of management excellence through the Heartland program, which serves Kansas and Missouri.
The Heartland CPM program can fill a training gap for staff with significant technical expertise who seek to further their knowledge of current management practices. The program offers a blended learning approach of classroom hours, online learning and outside assignments to meet 300 hours of structured learning. The curriculum addresses personal and organizational integrity, managing work, leading people, developing self, public service and leadership during times of change. Along the way, participants complete a capstone project focused on an opportunity for cost savings, revenue generation, process improvement or innovation in their workplace.
Graduates are listed below. Not all graduates opted for their names to be published.
Kansas
Barton County
Chance Bailey, Ellinwood Police Department
Brent Smith, Great Bend Fire Department
Bourbon County
Douglas Hurd, Kansas Department for Children and Families
Butler County
Makala Navarro, City of Augusta
Cherokee County
Jason Daniels, Columbus Police Department
Cowley County
Eric Burr, Arkansas City Police Department
Crawford County
Michelle Ducre, City of Pittsburg
Douglas County
David Ernst, Lawrence Police Department
McKenzi Ezell, Douglas County Fire and Medical
Justin Hensley, Lawrence Consolidated Fire District 2
Jason Hodge, Lawrence Police Department
Kelly McCoy, University of Kansas Fire and Rescue Training Institute
Michelle Needham, Kansas Department of Transportation
Tine Rakes, Douglas County
Kathy Richardson, City of Lawrence
Shannon Riggs, Lawrence Police Department
Morgan Swartzlander, University of Kansas
James Uhlemeyer, Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Tonya Voigt, Douglas County
Ellis County
Lyle Pantle, Ellis County Fire Department
Ellsworth County
Emil Halfhill, Ellsworth Police Department
Finney County
Gabriela Cruz, Finney County Clerk’s Office
Yolanda Galvan, Finney County Treasurer’s Office
Kelly Munyan, Finney County
Graham County
Shaun Dooley, Graham County Sheriff’s Office
Harper County
Thomas Burns, City of Harper Police Department
Cyndra Kastens, City of Anthony
Harvey County
Brian Palmer, City of Newton
Johnson County
Richard Breshears, Overland Park Police Department
Chad Courtois, City of Olathe
J. Paul Davis, Johnson County Department of Emergency Services
Lauren Grashoff, City of Shawnee Community Development
Chad Grosserode, Overland Park Police Department
James Lamb, Consolidated Fire District #2
Richard Potter, City of Shawnee Fire Department
Stephen Powell, City of Shawnee
Joshua Powers, Johnson County Transit
Brett Rushton, Lenexa Police Department
Matt Seichepine, Shawnee Police Department
Cory Smith, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office
Kristen Walters, Johnson County Motor Vehicles
David Winders, Leawood Police Department
Labette County
LeaAnn Myers, City of Altamont
Leavenworth County
Tammy Saldivar, Leavenworth County Solid Waste
Marshall County
Ryan Woodyard, Blue Rapids Police Department
McPherson County
Betsy Davis, Moundridge Public Library
Jeremy Johnson, City of Moundridge
Pratt County
Diana Arensdorf, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Reno County
Diana Skomal, Reno County Sheriff’s Office
Saline County
Hannah Stambaugh, Saline County
Sedgwick County
Michael Caraway, United States Marshals Service
Zach Day, City of Park City
Marlo Rugg, City of Park City
Richard Wolff, Park City Police Department
Shawnee County
Laura Bohnenkemper, Kansas Bureau of Investigation
Robert Child, Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office
Kami Cusick, State of Kansas Department of Administration
Sylvia Davis, City of Topeka Utilities Department
Erica Hunter, Kansas Department for Children and Families
Kelvin Johnson, Topeka Police Department
Ricquelle Landis, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Mary McAferty, State of Kansas
Tammy Tompkins, Kansas Department for Children and Families
Hannah Uhlrig, City of Topeka Public Works
Mark Ungerer, Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Sherman County
Misty Rice, Sherman County Sheriff’s Office
Jeffrey Riedesel, Sherman County Sheriff’s Office
Stafford County
Jami Downing, City of Stafford
Wyandotte County
Manuel DeLeon, Kansas City, Kansas Police Department Communications
Ronald Schumaker, Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department
Statewide
Jodi Beach, Kansas State School for the Deaf
Laura Hiatt, Kansas State Treasurer
Aye Myat, Kansas State School for the Blind
Glen Virden, Kansas Bureau of Investigation
Missouri
Jackson County
Hassan Al-Rubaie, Mid America Regional Council
Karen Clawson Sifton, Mid America Regional Council
Sam Morris, City of Independence.