Upper Maralboro, MD

 UPPER MARLBORO COMMISSIONERS LEONARD AND PENNOYER GRADUATE FROM PRESTIGIOUS U.M. ACADEMY FOR EXCELLENCE

COLLEGE PARK, MD – Mayor Wanda Leonard and Commissioner Linda Pennoyer from the Town of Upper Marlboro have graduated from the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. The ceremony took place last Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019 at the Tyser Auditorium on the University of Maryland College Park campus.

More than 90 public officials from across the state received an Academy certificate in the presence of family and friends. All Academy Fellows completed a robust program, which included core and elective classes designed to meet their professional needs as municipal or county officials in local government.

Through this program, the graduates not only enhanced their understanding of local government issues and ethical standards for public services, but also developed a foundation for informed policy making and effective governance.

“I am honored and humbled to have graduated from this prestigious Academy,” Mayor Leonard said this week. “What we learned will make us better able to serve the Town of Upper Marlboro and our residents. The curriculum that focused on ethical standards, transparency, and efficiency was especially important to me as the new Mayor.”

Elected as a Commissioner in January 2018, Leonard assumed the role of Mayor in Upper Marlboro this past July. A seasoned leader in the health care industry, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, with an emphasis on management and a minor in finance, from the University of the District of Columbia. She is only the second African American Mayor in the town’s 313-year history.

This is Pennoyer’s second term as a Commissioner in the Upper Marlboro, having first been elected to the post in January 2016. She also serves as the town Treasurer, overseeing town finances and fiscal operations. She is Secretary of the PG County Municipal Association (PGCMA) and Vice President of WINGS (Women In Government Service).

Additionally, she serves the liaison between the board and the Town Historical Committee and the Sustainable Communities Work Group.

“We have a lot of challenges in Upper Marlboro, not the least of which is the current county proposal to remove the historic designation for two former school buildings that sit inside the town limits,” Pennoyer said. “What I learned at the Academy for Excellence will help me be an even more effective leader, as we work together on this and other pressing issues that are important to our residents.”

University of Maryland School of Public Policy Dean Robert C. Orr praised all the new Academy graduates for their achievement.

“The School is proud to recognize these graduates,” Orr said. “Their commitment to public service and to providing the best possible local government to people across the state is not only admirable, it is of great importance.”

The Academy, which offered its first classes in 1998, is a collaborative effort between the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, the Maryland Municipal League, the Maryland Association of Counties, and the Local Government Insurance Trust.

 Photo cutline: Commissioner Linda Pennoyer (IMG_2574) receives her Academy for Excellence in Local Governance diploma from Ryan Spiegel, councilmember from the City of Gaithersburg, MD and current Municipal League President (left), and Anthony McCann, Professor in the School of Public Policy (right).

Photo cutline:  Mayor Wanda Leonard (IMG_2561) receives her Academy for Excellence in Local Governance diploma from Ryan Spiegel, councilmember from the City of Gaithersburg, MD and current Maryland Municipal League President (left). and Anthony McCann, Professor in the School of Public Policy (right).

 About the University of Maryland School of Public Policy
The University of Maryland School of Public Policy (SPP) draws on experienced faculty, an outstanding staff and partnerships with thousands of organizations to prepare professionals to address the world’s most pressing challenges. As part of a top-tier public research institution, the School also draws upon expertise from across campus and throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area. These linkages reflect the School’s commitment to sharing its research, educational and technological strengths with the community, the State and beyond.  The School has more than 25 years of experience delivering acclaimed leadership development and public policy programs to public (federal, state and local) clients as well as for- and non-profit organizations, and government agencies from abroad.