The Leadership Edge is a staff training and development program designed to grow, nurture, and encourage KRA’s already successful Program Management team. The first workshop was convened in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 19, 2010, and marked the successful start of a series of quarterly meetings that have been very well received by KRA Program Directors and Managers. The Leadership Edge focuses on project management best practices, human resources, budgeting and financial tracking, strategic development, and other topics specific to KRA’s continue success as a national leader in the provision of workforce development services.
On February 28-29, KRA returned to Baltimore to convene its first Leadership Edge meeting of 2012, beginning with a roundtable dinner discussion, led by Knowlton R. Atterbeary, KRA President & CEO, about KRA’s current operations and future goals. Don Scott, Senior Vice President for Workforce Operations, shared information on projects that KRA is starting-up, and stated that, “With growth come opportunities for promoting more staff to leadership positions. Developing more leaders within KRA is fundamentally important to our success, and you, as Program Directors and Managers need to enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of your direct-reports so they will be prepared for these opportunities.”
The next day began with a program, facilitated by Patrick Boxall, KRA Vice President & COO, and Joyce Tabb, KRA Accounting Specialist, on financial operations. Participants reviewed the key processes KRA uses to develop and track budgets, and learned about recent steps to streamline the flow of information required to process and document contract expenditures. Later, Vanessa Atterbeary, KRA Corporate Counsel, and Patricia Pinckney, KRA Human Resources Director, presented a detailed overview of current, new, and revised KRA Policies and Procedures, including those related to EEO, attendance and time reporting, expanded health care benefits, and leave.
Throughout the day, a case-study approach gave participants the opportunity to consider different scenarios and develop hands-on solutions that they can apply immediately to the management and oversight of their projects. Boxall concluded, “It’s as true today as it was in 2010, we are very excited about continuing to equip our senior field staff with the tools they need to continue to grow as leaders within our organization.”
