Academy for Local Elected Officials (ALEO)

The School of Public Affairs

The Academy for Local Elected Officials (ALEO) provides a forum for elected officials to build relationships, share their experiences with one another, and learn the knowledge and skills needed to address our region's most critical challenges.

Established by the School of Public Affairs and Institute for Innovative Governance at San Diego State University, ALEO offers workshops and conferences led by expert practitioners and academics. Our programs are focused on the tools and strategies essential for becoming a strategic and impactful community leader. In addition to providing workshops on 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 about the region's most pressing issues.

We invite all local government leaders to join us as we work together to enhance mutual collaboration, dynamic elected leadership, and effective local and regional governance.

ALEO Programs and Initiatives

Continuing Training and Education Workshops

ALEO offers continuing education and training opportunities for elected officials throughout the year. Programs focus on various issues of policy, governing, and leadership skills. Upcoming and past programs include:

Navigating Our Budgets During Volatile Times: Best Practices and Adapting to Funding Shifts (Spring 2026)
The Three C’s of Effective Media Communication: Confidence, Clarity, and Connection for Elected Officials (October 2025)
Emergency Management & Fire Preparedness Workshop (May 2025)

Conference for Newly Elected Officials

The inaugural ALEO Conference was held in January 2025 with two half-day modules of sessions and networking events. More than 72 leaders from 12 local governments participated in the conference. Presentations and panel discussions featured over 30 former elected officials, chiefs of staff, city managers, nonprofit organization leaders, executives from regional agencies, and SDSU faculty. The next ALEO conference will be held in early 2027. For more information, please contact ALEO Director Dominika Bukalova at [email protected].

Policy Research and Expertise

Participants in ALEO programs have opportunities to network with faculty and other academic 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.

ALEO Advisory Committee

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
Megan Welsh Carroll, Professor, SDSU School of Public Affairs