Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Medfield Assistant Town Administrator Brittney Franklin welcomes students to the 28th offering of the MMA-Suffolk Local Government Leadership and Management Certificate Program on Sept. 18 in Medfield. Programs are also being held this academic year in Littleton and Palmer.
The MMA and Suffolk University kicked off three Certificate in Local Government Leadership and Management programs in September, in Littleton, Medfield and Palmer.
Offered over the course of 25 Fridays during the academic year, the program covers a wide range of municipal management topics.
Nearly 650 local officials have graduated from the certificate program since it began in 2011. The current offerings are the 27th, 28th, and 29th certificate classes.
The next certificate programs will begin in September 2027 in Barnstable, Great Barrington and Lexington. Applications will be available on the program website on Feb. 1, 2027.
Municipal finance seminar
The MMA and Suffolk University are offering three Municipal Finance Management Seminar programs during the 2026-27 academic year — in the fall, winter and spring.
The Municipal Finance Management Seminar is for municipal employees interested in furthering their careers in municipal finance, or employees who are new to municipal finance.
The seminar provides an overview of municipal finance in Massachusetts, including the structure and purpose of local government, municipal budgeting systems and sources of revenue, financial reporting and record keeping, financial management, principles of property assessment, the intersection of human resources and financial resources, and best practices in local government finance.
Participants must be employed by a city or town, and must have the approval of their municipal manager, administrator or mayor to apply.
Finance seminars will be held via Zoom over the course of five Fridays, with the class schedule as follows:
• Fall 2026: Oct. 30, Nov. 6, Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Dec. 4; session is fully enrolled
• Winter 2027: Jan. 8, Jan. 15, Jan. 29, Feb. 5, Feb. 12; registration opens Oct. 21
• Spring 2027: March 5, March 12, March 19, March 26, April 2; registration opens Dec. 9
Students are expected to attend all course sessions, participate in class activities, and complete all course assignments. Each session can accommodate up to 25 students, and the cost is $925.
Registration for each session will be hosted on the MMA’s event registration website.
Registration is first-come, first-served. Students will be vetted to ensure that they’re a municipal employee and that there are no more than three participants per municipality.
Questions about the registration process can be directed to Kate Evarts at [email protected] or 617-426-7272, ext. 172.
Municipal Human Resources
Students gather online on Sept. 25 for the kickoff of an MMA-Suffolk Municipal Human Resources seminar. The eighth session of the seminar, which began in 2024, has 25 participants.
The MMA and Suffolk are also offering three Municipal Human Resources Seminar programs during the 2026-27 academic year — in the fall, winter and spring.
The Municipal Human Resources Seminar covers human resources management, policies and practices specific to Massachusetts cities and towns. Topics include hiring and onboarding, benefits administration, policy development, collective bargaining, and employee reviews and evaluations. Students also review relevant labor laws and best practices in municipal human resources management.
The HR seminar is designed for municipal employees interested in furthering their career in municipal human resources, employees who are new to municipal human resources, and employees who work in a municipal function with human-resources-adjacent tasks. More than 175 participants have completed the seminar since its inception in 2024.
The Municipal Human Resources Seminar will be held via Zoom over the course of five Fridays, with class dates as follows:
• Fall 2026: Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 9, Oct. 16, Oct. 23; session is fully enrolled
• Winter 2027: Jan. 29, Feb. 5, Feb. 12, Feb. 19, Feb. 26; registration opens Oct. 27
• Spring 2027: April 9, April 16, April 23, April 30, May 7; registration opens Jan. 12
Registration for each session will be hosted on the MMA’s event registration website. Registration is first-come, first-served. Students will be vetted to ensure that they’re a municipal employee and that there are no more than three participants per municipality.
Questions about the registration process can be directed to Kate Evarts at [email protected] or 617-426-7272, ext. 172.
Questions
The MMA has partnered with Suffolk University since 2011 to offer programs designed exclusively for municipal employees to help them further their professional careers. For more information on any of the MMA-Suffolk programs, visit mma.org/suffolk or contact Katie McCue at 617-426-7272, ext. 111, or [email protected], or Kate Evarts at 617-426-7272, ext. 172, or [email protected].