Leadership Training

The border region presents an array of governing complexities for state legislators on both sides of the U.S-Mexico border. To cultivate leadership in the border region, the Border Legislative Academy (BLA) offers a multi-day program focused on honing legislative skills through informational sessions and professional development training. By bringing together legislators from the U.S. and Mexico border states, the program promotes cooperative learning and relationship building to strengthen both leadership and legislative institutions.

The Toll Fellowship, named for CSG founder Henry Wolcott Toll, is one of the nation’s premier leadership development programs for state government officials. Each year, the Toll Fellowship brings 48 of the nation’s top officials from all three branches of state government to Lexington, Ky., for an intensive, five-day, leadership "boot camp.” The program’s sessions are designed to stimulate personal assessment and growth while providing priceless networking and relationship-building opportunities.

Comprised of nonpartisan legislative staff directors, the Legislative Service Agency & Research Directors committee (LSA/RD) is dedicated to delivering the best possible customer service to lawmakers while fostering a positive and professional workplace environment. Supporting this goal, committee members meet throughout the year to participate in professional development training. Learning from topic experts - as well as peer review of processes, procedures, and best practices - the committee seeks to strengthen the work of their respective legislative institutions.

Each year, 39 state legislators from the western region are selected to participate in the Western Legislative Academy (WLA), a multi-day training experience focused on sharpening leadership skills needed to excel in a legislative environment. Faculty from academic, military, and legislative backgrounds engage class members in interactive sessions designed to provide a learning experience that expands understanding and fosters relationships.

CSG West, in partnership with the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University, is pleased to announce the inaugural class of the Leadership Excellence for Nonpartisan Staff (LENS) program. The LENS program brings together rising leaders in various nonpartisan staff offices in Western state legislatures for a ten-week, collaborative leadership development curriculum designed to bolster the strength of legislative institutions and build a pipeline for principled governance in state offices for the next generation.  

Offering a variety of professional development opportunities, the WESTRAIN program connects trainers and members to provide access to customized training sessions. Selected trainers are leaders in their respective areas of expertise delivering nonpartisan training designed to enhance leadership skills of legislators and legislative staff.

Complejidades que gobiernan abundan para legisladores estatales trabajando en regiones fronterizas en los dos lados de la frontera México-Estados Unidos. Para cultivar liderazgo en la región fronteriza, la Academia Legislativa Fronteriza (ALF) ofrece un programa enfocado en afilando destrezas legislativas esenciales por sesiones de información actualizada y entrenamiento de desarrollo profesional. Reuniendo a legisladores de los estados fronterizos, el programa personalizado promueve conocimiento cooperativo y creación de relaciones para fortalecer el liderazgo tanto como las instituciones legislativas.