Public Executive Leadership Academy
Public Executive Leadership Academy (PELA) program is our premier leadership experience for government professionals from the School of Government. We are celebrating over two decades of excellence in Public Executive Leadership.
The dates are July 13-18 and August 3-8, 2025 in person at the School of Government. (Note: due to the holiday weekend, the July 6-11 dates have been changed to July 13-18.)
The application will open January 15 and close May 15, 2025.
Visit the Public Executive Leadership Academy home page for scholarship information, faculty lists and alumni.
The Public Executive Leadership Academy provides municipal and county managers, their assistants, and key department heads the opportunity to learn more about themselves as leaders and to gain skills to lead and manage change in their communities. Participants will choose a "real world" project for leading regional, community or organizational change and develop a plan, in consultation with their learning teams, for carrying it out. This project will integrate and apply the leadership knowledge and skills developed during PELA. Participants will also work on a personal leadership development plan that will incorporate feedback from faculty, colleagues, and community stakeholders.
Acceptance into this program requirement: A minimum of 7 years’ experience in local government management with at least 5 years supervisory experience as a municipal or county manager, assistant manager, or department director. Preference for admission will be given to applicants who have completed the Fellows program or Municipal and County Administration.
Fee: $5300 (includes hotel and most meals)
Please note: PELA is an immersive residential program where participants are together for the length of the program. Hotel accommodations are provided as part of the tuition cost, and it is required that you stay with the group at the hotel regardless of whether you are local. There is a huge benefit to this experience. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact Kim Nelson or Miranda Day.
Scholarship Information: Scholarships are available through NCCCMA for NCCCMA members.
The 2024 NCCCMA Scholarship Application can be found HERE. Scholarship questions and completed scholarship applications must be submitted to Patrick Niland, NCCCMA professional development committee chair, Patrick.Niland@unioncountync.gov.
Members of Civic Federal Credit Union (Civic) and Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU), who are local government employees, are eligible to apply for a scholarship towards tuition for conferences, classes, and seminars offered by the School of Government. There are four deadlines to submit applications:
- March 1 (for courses starting between April 1 and June 30)
- June 1 (for courses starting between July 1 and September 30)
- September 1 (for courses starting between October 1 and December 31)
- December 1 (for courses starting between January 1 and March 31)
Additional information
If you are interested in the Public Executive Leadership Academy (PELA) and the MPA program, clients can earn up to 5 credit hours from PELA that can be transferred into the MPA Program at UNC. Students must apply separately to each program. Once accepted into PELA, clients will need to register through the Friday Center prior to taking PELA to get the credit hours below. For more information on registering for credit, please visit the Friday Center website. For information on the MPA program, contact Cara Robinson, director of admissions at cararob@sog.unc.edu.
GOV 663: Public Executive Leadership Academy
o 5 credit hours
