Local Elected Leaders Academy Recognition Program

• Learn more about the LELA Recognition Program

Participants in the Local Elected Leaders Academy who complete specified courses and hours of attendance are recognized at the NCACC Annual Conference. Commissioners began earning recognition credits in December 2008, and the first recipients were honored in August 2010.

New Hanover County Chairman of the Board Jonathan Barfield Jr. (at right, with Wake County Commissioner Joe Bryan) was recognized Aug. 20, 2011, for becoming the first commissioner to achieve Mentor level status through the Local Elected Leaders Academy (LELA) Recognition Program.

• A Practitioner has completed a minimum of 48 credits (18 orientation credits + 20 focused in-depth credits + 12 elective credits)
• A Master has completed a minimum of 66 credits (18 orientation credits + 30 focused in-depth credits + 18 elective credits)
• A Mentor has completed a minimum of 82 credits (18 orientation credits + 40 focused in-depth credits + 24 elective credits)

LELA is a partnership program of advanced learning for county and municipal elected officials housed at the School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill. LELA was developed as a response to the Association's Strategic Goal No. 2, which emphasizes a need for leadership training and board development beyond the basic Essentials of County Government classes offered every two years.