Gloucester Introduces Municipal Leadership Training Workshops

Program Custom Designed by Van Loan School at Endicott College’s Center for Leadership

(Gloucester, Mass.) – October 11, 2017 – Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken announced new training workshops for City of Gloucester employees designed by the Van Loan School at Endicott College’s Center for Leadership, starting first with “Fundamentals of Leadership” training for municipal department managers.

“The citizens of Gloucester deserve accountable and professional city services, so we must empower our staff with meaningful training and education,” said Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken. “The career development of our city employees remains a top priority and we are proud to partner with Endicott College’s Van Loan School for customized workshops to assist with this growth.”

Initial training needs were identified between Personnel Director Donna Leete and Center for Leadership Director Richard G. Weissman after a series of surveys and employee insights were collected and analyzed. From there, training modules were proposed and finalized with final sign-off by Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken.

“Endicott College and the Van Loan School are proud to contribute to the Gloucester community, including leadership training programs,” said Weissman, who also heads up the 4,000- square-foot Endicott Gloucester campus in the same building that houses the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve done a lot of work within the community for many years now, but this career development series reflects a special relationship that has proven valuable for both the city and our college alike.”

Training will be conducted by veteran Endicott College adjunct professor and Center for Leadership instructor, Joseph Tragert. Through the Center for Leadership, Tragert has led management development programs and strategic planning projects for organizations including Minuteman Health, the City of Beverly, Endicott College, Cape Ann TV, and the City of Salem.

Modules focus on dynamics of leadership, effective communication, teamwork, managing conflict, project management, and more.

About the City of Gloucester

America’s oldest seaport, the City of Gloucester is known throughout the world as an authentic, working waterfront community, a place of spectacular natural beauty, and home to a diverse population of about 30,000 residents. An important center for the fishing industry, Gloucester also is proud of its vibrant cultural life and rich art heritage as one of the premier art colonies in the United States. In addition, the city is a destination for thousands of visitors who visit the harbor and its beaches during the summertime. In recent years, Gloucester has been actively diversifying its traditional maritime economy, adding leading small research institutions such as the UMass Amherst Large Pelagics Research Laboratory and the Ocean Alliance to the array of local businesses and state and federal agencies working in the city. Recent advancements in Gloucester include new investments in marine robotics and new product development from the fishery.