Washington, D.C. (May 19, 2025) — Professional Development Academy (PDA), a nationally acclaimed training company for state, local and federal leaders, and portfolio company of GovExec, the leading sales and marketing intelligence company for government leaders and contractors, is proud to announce the successful launch of the National League of Cities (NLC) High Performance Leadership Academy and future opportunities to participate. Developed in partnership with the National League of Cities, a premier organization of city, town and village leaders representing more than 200 million people across the country, the 12-week leadership program prepares local public sector officials to better navigate current challenges such as budget constraints, workforce retention, constancy of change and increased demands from residents. The first session began in April 2025, with additional sessions scheduled for August, September and January 2026.

Designed to offer flexibility that complies with city leaders’ demanding schedules, the NLC High Performance Leadership Academy consists of one-hour daily lessons guided by experienced leadership coaches and offered through PDA’s learning management platform. In addition to carrying on PDA’s tradition of providing leadership lessons inspired by the likes of General Colin Powell, Fortune 1000 CEOs, and other top public and private executives, the academy features interactive sessions that dive into specific areas of concern for city representatives including the power of mindset and positive leadership strategies, effective change management and resource alignment to meaning and purpose, collaboration and negotiation techniques to achieve mutual gains, and more.

“Professional Development Academy is very excited to partner with NLC on this program,” said Dr. Tim Rahschulte, co-founder of the Professional Development Academy and EVP at GovExec. “NLC has a more than 100-year-old track record of working with city officials on how to best shape beneficial policy. With this academy, we aim to help them continue to evolve that mission with new ways of reaching and collaborating with these current and future leaders.”

The addition of the NLC High Performance Leadership Academy to PDA’s portfolio of training programs not only marks the first academy to cater to city leaders, but comes as the company continues to expand its array of leadership curriculum. PDA recently celebrated the inaugural class of its AI Leadership Academy and hosts several other focused programs on subjects such as enterprise cybersecurity, digital transformation, and analytics.

“NLC’s partnership with Professional Development Academy was built on our shared commitment to strengthening local leadership and driving innovative solutions for local governments,” said Clarence E. Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities. “The NLC High Performance Leadership Academy reflects our dedication to fulfilling this commitment, providing city officials with a tangible opportunity to take their leadership skills to the next level in ways that will really benefit their communities. I am truly excited about this partnership and encourage local leaders to take advantage of this valuable opportunity to invest in their city teams.”

The standard price to participate in the 12-week program is $2,995 per person. However, through the partnership between PDA and NLC, scholarships have been made available for participants as well as benefits for larger groups of enrollees.

To learn more, visit https://www.nlc.org/partner/professional-development-academy/.

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Media Contact: 
Liz Stein
lstein@govexec.com