Professional learning for public service

Prepare for the responsibilities of public leadership.

Self-paced courses for elected officials, board members, public employees, officers and the people who lead them.

Browse courses for individualsTrain your board or team

Certificate with contact hoursSelf-paced online180 days of access

The responsibilities behind public service

Board roles and public decision-making
Budgets, revenue and stewardship
Governance, ethics and accountability
Operations and leadership
For yourselfBuild your knowledge one course at a time.Choose a course or a full series, study on your schedule and earn a certificate with contact hours.Browse coursesFor your board or organizationGive your whole board, staff or agency a shared foundation.Group access for boards, departments and agencies, with invoice and purchase order welcome.Plan your training

Start here

Start with one hour.

Two short, on-demand introductory courses, offered at no cost, show how the Academy teaches: the same lessons, knowledge check and certificate of completion as every course in the catalog. Each one leads into a full course when you are ready for more.

Leadership · About one hourPublic Service Leadership: Leading From Where You ServeEvery person who serves the public has a chance to lead, whatever the title. Learn what leadership looks like at every level of public service, why public trust sits at its center, and use a short self-check to choose one leadership action for the role you hold now.Leads into Public Service Leadership: Practical Skills for Every Role.Enrollment opens at launch
Public meetings · About one hourTexas Open Meetings Act: The BasicsFor members of Texas governmental bodies and the staff who support them. Covers the background of the Act, which bodies it applies to, quorums, notice and recordkeeping, open and closed meetings, and penalties.Leads into Open Meetings and Public Records: Compliance for Texas Public Bodies.Enrollment opens at launch
Elected officialsBoard membersCity and county staffSpecial district staffPublic employeesAdministratorsConsultants and vendorsPeace officersJailers and corrections staffTelecommunicatorsField training officersSupervisorsInstructorsAgency staffPublic safety executivesFire and EMS

Start with your role

Find the courses built for the work you do.

Elected officials and board membersPublic employees and staffConsultants and vendorsPeace officersSupervisors and managersExecutives and agency leadersFire and EMSStudents

From the catalog

Courses for every part of public service.

For elected officials, city and county staff and the people who support them: how public authority works, budgets, meetings and leadership.

 

 

 

 

Build a connected path

Take one course, or a full series.

Each series links four courses into one path, so every course builds on the last.

GovLeaders Flagship Series: Foundations of Public Sector LeadershipLocal government · Special purpose districtsNew Board Member SeriesLocal government · Special purpose districtsWater District Governance and Legal SeriesSpecial purpose districtsWater District Operations and Leadership SeriesSpecial purpose districtsLaw Enforcement Supervision SeriesLaw enforcement · Fire and EMSProfessional Standards and Liability SeriesLaw enforcementLaw Enforcement Leadership SeriesLaw enforcement · Fire and EMS

For individuals

Learn on your schedule. Bring it to the next meeting.

1Pick a course or seriesBrowse by sector, audience or topic, or follow a full series.
2Learn at your own paceLessons, knowledge checks and 180 days of access, on any device.
3Earn your certificateDownload a certificate with contact hours as soon as you pass.
Choose your first course
Sample GovLeaders Academy certificate of completion for Jordan A. Sample, Open Meetings and Public Records, 6 contact hours

Sample certificate. One contact hour equals 50 minutes of required learner activity.

For boards, agencies and organizations

A shared foundation for your board, staff or agency.

Group access for everyone from new employees to elected leadership. Invoice and purchase order welcome.

01Start with the responsibilitiesIdentify what your board, staff or officers need to know for their roles.
02Choose a course of studyUse individual courses or a series for onboarding and continuing development.
03Bring the learning back to your organizationApply the concepts in your meetings, planning, supervision and oversight.

Tell us about your group

Share the roles you want to train and roughly how many learners. We reply with options and a quote for your board, staff or agency.

Send an inquirySee organization options
 

The Academy’s purpose

Public service deserves applied preparation.

GovLeaders Academy connects public-sector experience with structured education for working adults. The focus is useful knowledge, clear responsibilities and better-informed decisions.

About the Academy

Insights

Practical perspective for people who serve the public.

Governance and public meetings The 90th Legislature: the dates public leaders should markFiling windows, the session calendar and the deadlines that shape what your organization can plan for in 2027.Coming soon
Governance and public meetings Before the meeting starts: notice, agenda and minutes for Texas public bodiesWhat has to happen before a public body meets, and the records that show it was done right.Read the Insight
Leadership Reading a recommendation before you decideA practical way to work through a staff report, test its assumptions and reach a decision you can explain.Read the Insight

The GovLeaders Brief

Perspective for the work of public service, in your inbox.

Governance and leadership perspective, plus news from the Academy, including the day new courses open.

You can also subscribe by emailing support@govleadersacademy.com.