The Illinois Certified Public Manager® Program is launching in 2024!

The Certified Public Manager® (CPM) Program is a comprehensive and nationally certified development program for state and local government employees. The Government Finance Research Center at the University of Illinois Chicago delivers the only official CPM certification program for the State of Illinois. If you are interested in learning more, please fill the interest form below.

The National Certified Public Manager® Consortium (NCPMC) establishes and preserves standards for the CPM designation, which is awarded to public sector middle managers who have completed the required 300 hours of study through a CPM program accredited by the NCPMC.  The program is a comprehensive course of study by which public managers can acquire and apply best practices and theory to their management behaviors and strategies using prescribed sets of professional competencies. The curriculum uses theory as the foundation and applies it to practical problems facing the participant, their agency/department, and the citizens.

For questions, please email cpmillinois@uic.edu.

State and local government job openings have been on an upward trend since 2010. However, hires have lagged behind openings exacerbating the public sector talent gap. The CPM program offers public sector and nonprofit employees the opportunity to:

• Enhance personal leadership strengths
• Broaden intergovernmental networks and communication
• Increase personal awareness and effectiveness
• Evaluate and implement innovative solutions
• Become a leader in promotion of quality in public services.
• Take advantage of competency based learning geared toward immediate applicability

The Curriculum includes the following competencies:

Personal and Organizational Integrity
Today, managers must acknowledge their role in shaping organizational ethics and the role they play in creating an organizational climate that strengthens the relationships and reputations on which their organizations success depends. Leaders achieve this by modeling ethical awareness and maintaining a sense of trust through critical and courageous conversations and consistent words and actions.

Managing Work
Work management is a continuous process, where work is strategically aligned to the organizational goals to effectively get things done. By working together leaders empower others through personal responsibility and empowerment allowing an organization to grow and thrive.

Leading People
Exemplary leadership is a way of being, whether one is leading others or leading one’s own life. Leadership can be developed; it is a choice to embrace one’s authenticity and empower others to act. Leaders provide the vision to accomplish, even the simplest, of tasks of what the organization is trying to accomplish and how they fit into it. Leadership is not managing the demands of each day; it is taking people in a direction.

Developing Self
Personal-development is a lifelong process and can be described as many things, but at its core, is the expansion of self-awareness. Ultimately, personal-development and its results can enhance our quality of life and increase our satisfaction. Personal-development is the process of creating and living one’s most authentic life’ – one that’s unique to the individual, their dreams, passions, and needs.

Systemic Integration
Boosting productivity and improving the workflow of an organization is essential if it is to succeed. Systems integration is a great way to achieve these goals; however, it cannot be achieved without meaningful advocacy and creative innovations, both internally and externally.

Public Service Focus
Public service is a service through collaboration both internally and externally, resulting in a quality stakeholder experience. It exudes trust and stewardship for the common good by contributing to the common good through accountability and transparency.

Change Leadership
Change agents promote and support a new way of doing something within the organization by inspiring others through advocacy. Change agents embrace the agility to navigate the rapidly increasing change and the growing complexity of today’s rapidly changing world.