Classified Leadership Academy
The mission of the Classified Leadership Academy (CLA) is to provide new opportunities for classified staff to enhance their leadership skills, support classified staff in advancing their careers within the California Community College System, and empower classified staff to be effective change agents within their current areas of responsibility.
The Classified Leadership Academy is a two-year program managed by the Classified Professional Development Subcommittee, and is sponsored by funding from the Chancellor's Office to provide classified professional development programs and services to support the statewide Vision for Success. All classified employees will be granted 4 hours of release time annually to participate in any Academy workshops of interest, and an additional 25 participants (for the 2021 Year 1 and 2022 Year 2 cohorts) will be selected and given release time to participate in the full Academy, which consists of 12 workshop sessions (approximately 20-24 hours total) over the course of the year.
Employees do not need to complete Year 1 to participate in Year 2, though being a part of both cohorts is highly recommended.
After successful completion of the Classified Leadership Academy Year 1, participants should be able to:
- Develop specific career goals and identify a pathway to accomplish those goals
- Identify ethical issues in management to lead with integrity
- Demonstrate sensitivity to cultural differences and awareness of implicit bias
- Demonstrate excellent customer service skills at a distance and face-to-face
- Execute strategies necessary for effective meeting facilitation
- Use techniques to speak publicly with professionalism
- Develop skills necessary to manage and lead projects
- Gain skills necessary to manage a budget
- Explain principles necessary to lead an effective team
- Explain and practice employee supervision basics
- Identify and employ stress management techniques
- Build an effective resume and practice job interview techniques
After successful completion of the Classified Leadership Academy Year 2, participants should be able to:
- Identify their own personality type and reflect on how it might impact their leadership strengths
- Recognize different leadership styles and develop their own leadership style
- Explain how to develop and implement new policies and procedures in a California Community College
- Discuss the basics of enrollment management and examine how it impacts their role and department
- Organize, process and prioritize information and key points during the note-taking process
- Develop programmatic outcomes that fit into the strategic direction of a California Community College
- Prioritize budget allocations based on forecasted student and department needs
- Delegate tasks and communicate effectively
- Identify best practices to strengthen coping mechanisms and optimize work-life balance
- Establish an equity-conscious vocabulary to enhance communication to engage with a diverse community
- Develop skills to deliver powerful presentations
- Reflect on personal goals, barriers to success, and strategies for overcoming challenges
CLA Workshop Schedule (Year 2 in 2022)
View the Event Calendar: View this calendar to find the Zoom links to each session. You will need to be signed in with your Hartnell email account to view these events! Events will be visible by January 2022.
All classified staff members may register for and participate in any of the available sessions and will be granted a maximum of 4 hours of release time (more requires approval by your supervisor). Full Leadership Academy participants must participate in all required sessions and one elective workshop (electives are marked with an asterisk in the table below) in order to graduate from the Academy and earn the Certificate of Completion. Employees may apply to join the Year 2 Cohort even if they have not completed Year 1, but priority will be given to those that have completed Year 1.
Spring 2022 Open Session Registration Form (Sessions open to all Classified Staff)
View the Workshop Schedule Archive for past sessions and presenters
| Workshop Topic | Date & Time | Workshop Leader & Materials |
|
Personality Types & Leadership Strengths (Session 1) |
January 28th, 2022 from 10 am to 3 pm (with a 1-hour lunch break from 12 pm to 1 pm) |
Dr. Geisce Ly & PowerPoint Presentations/Recording |
|
Elective: Leadership Styles & You (Session 2) |
February 25th, 2022 from 10 am to 12 pm | Dr. Aaron Anderson & PowerPoint Presentations/Recording |
|
Developing Policies & Procedures (Session 3) |
March 25th, 2022 from 10 am to 12 pm | Dr. Geisce Ly & PowerPoint Presentations/Recording |
|
Enrollment Management & Budgetary Impacts (Session 4) |
April 29th, 2022 from 10 am to 12 pm | Dr. Jennifer Zellet & PowerPoint Presentations/Recording |
|
Elective: Note-Taking Strategies: Organizing, Processing, and Prioritizing Information (Session 5) |
May 20th, 2022 from 10 am to 12 pm | Lizette Bricker & PowerPoint Presentations/Recording |
|
Strategic Planning & Program Outcomes (Session 6) |
June 24th, 2022 from 10 am to 11 am | Dr. Carrie Collins & PowerPoint Presentations/Recording |
|
Budget Forecasting (Session 7) |
July 29th, 2022, 10 am to 12 pm | Dr. Sarah Schrader & PowerPoint Presentations/Recording |
|
Delegate Decisively: Delineate Tasks and Lines of Responsibility (Session 8) |
August 12th, 2022, from 10 am to 11 am | Dr. Carrie Collins & PowerPoint Presentations/Recording |
|
Elective: Cultivating Well-Being and Work-Life Balance (Session 9) |
September 30th, 2022 from 10 am to 11 am | Dr. Sonia Luckey & PowerPoint Presentations/Recording |
|
The Vocabulary of Equity (Session 10) |
October 28th, 2022, from 10 am to 12 pm | Dr. Lonita Cordova & PowerPoint Presentations/Recording |
|
Present Powerfully: Prepare, Deliver, and Perfect Presentations (Session 11) |
November 18th, 2022 from 10 am to 11 am | Dr. Carrie Collins & PowerPoint Presentations/Recording |
|
Reflection & Goal-Setting (Session 12) |
December 2nd, 2022 from 10 am to 3 pm (with a 1-hour lunch break from 12 pm to 1 pm) | Dr. Geisce Ly & PowerPoint Presentations/Recording |
Employee Application & Eligibility
Classified employees do not need to apply if they only intend to complete 4 hours (or less) of the available workshops, but they will need to complete the Registration Form to be added to the calendar invitations. However, if a classified employee wants to participate in the entire Classified Leadership Academy as a member of the annual cohort (which ensures release time for ALL sessions and a certificate wall plaque for successful completion at the end), they will need to complete the CLA 2022 Employee Application. Applications are due by the middle of January each year and new cohorts start at the end of January. The application deadline for the 2022 cohort is January 14th, 2022.
Employees do not need to participate in Cohort 1 to be eligible for Cohort 2, though preference may be given to applicants who have already participated in Cohort 1.
To be eligible for the full leadership academy, employees must fall within one of the three Classified staff categories (L-39, Confidentials, or CSEA), they must have at least one year of service with the District, and they must be willing to commit to the full year-long Academy. There are currently 25 openings for the 2022 cohort, and employees will be selected for participation as follows: the first 15 spots will be broken down to 5 guaranteed spots for each staff category. The first 5 applicants from each group that meet the eligibility criteria will be accepted, and the next 10 applicants will be accepted by a lottery system (if there are more than 25 total applicants).
Classified Professional Development Subcommittee
The application process goes through the Classified Professional Development Subcommittee, which falls under the Professional Development Committee. Current members include:
Belen Gonzales (CSEA)
Vanessa Meldahl (Confidential)
Marlene Tapia (CSEA)
Cristina Zavala (Confidential)