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Commissioner Susan Shaw Achieves First

On Sunday, September 18, Calvert County Commissioners Susan Shaw (R-2^nd District) and Wilson H. Parran (D-At Large) attended a formal graduation ceremony at the University of Maryland, College Park, where they each received the distinction of Fellow from the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance, along with many other elected officials from across the state of Maryland.

Susan was the first member of the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners to earn this distinction.

To become a Fellow, the two Commissioners had to complete 14 courses offered under the auspices of the University of Maryland’s Institute for Governmental Services on the county track. Like most curriculums, “core” courses are required. They include: Ethics; Open Meetings; Public Information Act; Employment Issues; County Financial Management; Conducting Effective Meetings; Consensus and Team Building; School Board Relations; and Basics of Risk Management. Additionally, four elective course selections could be chosen from a variety of offerings.

Susan explained, “Becoming a County Commissioner involves a rather steep learning curve during the first year in office. The Academy classes helped me to climb that curve.” In fact, Susan found the classes so helpful that she has taken several of the core classes more than once. “Some of the topics covered in the Academy classes are so broad and so complicated that I have found it helpful to repeat certain classes when I had more experience to which to apply what I had learned.” The Ethics class is an example.

As a licensed clinical social worker and practicing psychotherapist, Mrs. Shaw regularly takes continuing education classes to upgrade her skills and to stay current with new brain research and new techniques for treating mental disorders. Taking classes to achieve the Fellow designation from the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance was in keeping with the value she places on lifelong learning as well as with her commitment to her constituents.

Congratulations to Commissioner Susan Shaw and Commissioner Wilson H. Parran for this achievement.

Source: Calvert Life Monthly Magazine, December 2005