Academy for Local Elected Officials (ALEO)
The School of Public Affairs
The Academy for Local Elected Officials (ALEO), established by the San Diego State University’s School of Public Affairs, is designed to provide locally elected officials a forum in which they can share their experiences with one another, and learn the knowledge and skills needed to address our region’s most critical challenges.
The Academy programs have been created to provide the tools and strategies that are essential for becoming a strategic and impactful community leader. In addition to providing workshops regarding the fundamentals of governing, our programs provide networking opportunities with other elected officials and regional leaders, along with access to local policy experts with extensive knowledge regarding the region’s most pressing issues.
We hope you join us as we work together to build the greater San Diego area into a resilient and vibrant region shaped by mutual collaboration, dynamic elected leadership, and effective local and regional governance.
Key Academy Programs and Initiatives:
Conference for Newly-Elected Officials
A cornerstone program of the Academy is a conference that centers on a regional approach to governing and provides training to newly-elected officials in the San Diego region. On January 9 and 16, 2025, local government leaders gathered at San Diego State University for the 2025 ALEO Conference. The conference program was designed to encourage networking opportunities with fellow regional leaders and included keynote speakers, presentations, and panel discussions at San Diego State University. For more information about the ALEO Conference, please contact ALEO Director Dominika Bukalova at [email protected].
Continuing Training and Education Workshops
The Academy offers continuing education and training opportunities for elected officials throughout the year. Upcoming workshops will include the following topics, among others: • Emergency management and crisis communication • Housing and homelessness • Budgeting • Land use and policy • Labor relations
Policy Research and Expertise
Academy attendees will have opportunities to network with faculty fellows and other faculty experts via the Institute for Innovative Governance (IIG) in SDSU’s School of Public Affairs. In its inaugural year, IIG-affiliated faculty have expertise in urban and regional planning; communication; public administration and public finance; theater, television, and film; art and design; criminal justice; and hotel and tourism management. Continuing training and education workshops may, among other activities, generate ideas for collaboration and/or action-oriented research on a particular issue.
The Academy Advisory Committee & Team
- Dominika Bukalova, Assistant Professor, SDSU School of Public Affairs
- Aimee Faucett, President & CEO, Agenda Setting, LLC
- Julie O’Connor-Quinn, Administrative Coordinator, SDSU School of Public Affairs
- Darrell Pugh, Professor and Advisory Board Member, SDSU School of Public Affairs
- David Richards, Director of Public Works, City of El Cajon
For more information, please contact:
