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County Colleagues Honor Eight New Pelletier Institute Graduates
January 28, 2008
Eight graduates of the Dennis A. Pelletier County Government Institute were honored this week at 2008 Legislative Conference of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC).
The Pelletier Institute is an educational program for county officials established by the New York State Association of Counties in conjunction with Cornell University. Named for a widely respected Monroe County legislator and Member of the NYSAC Board of Directors, the Institute is designed to provide training programs that enhance the knowledge, leadership and decision-making skills of today’s county leaders as a means to help mitigate political rancor and partisan gridlock. The courses are taught by members of the Cornell University faculty, experts from state and county government, instructors from the private sector and other state institutions of higher learning.
The other eight graduates include: Virginia Amico, Livingston County Clerk of the Board; Alice Kuntzsch, Fulton County Budget Director; Teresa Giovanniello, Dutchess County Deputy Commissioner of Social Services; Esther Leadley, Genesee County Legislator; Linda Palmer, Chemung County Clerk of the Board; William Ryan, Westchester County Chair of the Board of Legislators; Vincent Spagnoletti, Steuben County Commissioner of Public Works; and Shawn Patrick Doyle, an Oswego County Legislator.
“The Pelletier Institute is an educational program that provides county leaders with valuable skills and knowledge to help them meet the increasingly challenging demands of governing in the 21st Century,” said Stephen J. Acquario, NYSAC executive director. “I congratulate these individuals and applaud their continued commitment to public service.”
The Pelletier curriculum includes a mix of required, elective and continuing education courses in a comprehensive education and training program designed to assist county leaders to better serve the public. Required course offerings under the Institute’s Program include Government Ethics, Building Consensus in a Political Environment, Principles of County Budget and Finance, and Public Sector Labor/Management Relations.
The New York State Association of Counties is a bipartisan municipal association serving all 62 counties of New York State including the City of New York. Organized in 1925, NYSAC’s mission is to represent, educate and advocate for Member Counties and the thousands of elected and appointed county officials who serve the public.
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