About the Local Elected Leaders Academy
Effective government is critical in this "new economy." Public officials must be ready to lead strategically, think creatively, and act collaboratively in order to deal with today's serious governing challenges.

The Local Elected Leaders Academy, a partnership with the School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill, the N.C. Association of County Commissioners and the N.C. League of Municipalities, offers local elected officials the knowledge and skills needed to lead and govern their communities in these challenging times.

LELA helps the Association achieve its strategic goals, including "strengthen county leadership and board development" and "facilitate regional and intergovernmental collaboration."

Scholarships for elected officials
LELA offers scholarships to elected county and municipal officials to attend School of Government-sponsored programs, workshops and courses. To apply for a scholarship, click on the course you wish to attend listed on the NCACC calendar. In the “Links” section, click on “for more information.” This will direct you to the School of Government webpage for more course information, registration instructions, and scholarship details.

LELA Recognition Program
Through LELA, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) and School of Government have established a three-level recognition program for individual county commissioners, which will help the association achieve one of its strategic goals, "strengthen county leadership and board development." County commissioners began earning credits toward achieving official recognition for their commitment to lifelong learning with the kickoff of the December 2008 Essentials of County Government program.

Recognition Levels & Credits
View a detailed description of credits and more information.

Level	Orientation	Workshops / Programs	NCACC-Sponsored Programs	Total
Practitioner	18	18	12	48
Master	18	30	18	66
Mentor	18	40	24	82

Orientation-level courses include the Essentials of County Government schools. Focused, in-depth programs include School of Government-sponsored programs, Regional LeaderShops, mini-conferences and pre-conference workshops. NCACC-sponsored programs include the NCACC annual conference, National Association of Counties (NACo) conferences, district meetings and legislative updates. In addition, members of the NCACC Executive Committee and state committees can earn NCACC-sponsored credits toward the mentor recognition level.