Local government certificate program graduates inaugural class

Family, friends and colleagues looked on as the first class of the Certificate Program in Local Government Leadership and Management graduated on June 19 at Suffolk University in Boston.

The new certificate program is a partnership between the MMA and Suffolk University’s Moakley Center for Public Management. Students in the program take five graduate-level classes taught by Suffolk faculty.

The graduating class consisted of 24 municipal employees from various departments in the western suburbs of Boston. They met on Fridays at the Police/Fire Training Center in Natick.

“For 25 Fridays, [these] municipal employees, from different departments in different towns, in all stages of their careers, gathered together for one common purpose: to learn,” said graduate Matthew Selby, the Community Development & Health director in Ashland. “To learn from our professors; to learn from one another. Every single person in this group enriched the experience for everyone else. Extraordinary, indeed.”

Students thanked their families for their support, but they also thanked their supervisors and managers, who let them condense a full workweek into four days so that they could attend classes on Fridays.

Former Gov. Michael Dukakis, who started his career in government as a Town Meeting member in Brookline, was the keynote speaker at the graduation, where he expressed his strong feelings about the importance of local government.

“The commonwealth doesn’t succeed unless local government succeeds and vice versa,” he said.

Dukakis sent off the graduates by commending them for picking a career in public service, which, he said, provides great personal fulfillment.

“I hope you feel as good as I do about your profession,” he said.

Also speaking at the event were Suffolk University President James McCarthy, MMA Executive Director Geoffrey Beckwith, Moakley Center Director Sandy Matava, and five of the graduates. Stephen Cirillo was the faculty speaker.

The pilot program was guided by the West Suburban Managers group.

The next certificate program will be hosted by the town of Reading and begin in September.