Photo submitted to the Times Observer Lea Ann Adams, secretary-treasurer of Pleasant Township, is pictured after completing the Pennsylvania Municipal Government Academy.

Lea Ann Adams, secretary-treasurer of Pleasant Township, Warren County, recently completed the administration certificate program of the Pennsylvania Municipal Government Academy, a leadership and municipal education program of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS).

The 2025 class of PMGA graduates received diplomas and certificates of completion recently during the association’s Annual Educational Conference in Hershey.

“PSATS launched the Municipal Government Academy several years ago to give township and other local government officials and staff a leg up on performing their duties,” said David Sanko, PSATS executive director. “In the academy, education in leadership and communication skills overlaps the training in four technical categories: administration, planning and zoning, public safety, and public works.”

PMGA participants earn points by attending classroom and virtual workshops and webinars and other PSATS educational opportunities, such as the Annual Educational Conference, Human Resources and Labor Management Institute, and Boot Camp for Township.

In this year’s graduating class, 12 individuals, including Adams, completed the certificate program by earning 30 points in the administration or planning categories. In addition, nine individuals completed the diploma program by earning 60 points from across the four categories.

PSATS structured the academy to give participants practical information they can use in their positions, Sanko said.

“We didn’t want to just have courses on abstract local governance topics,” he said. “We wanted to make sure that students came out with useful strategies and techniques to help them do their jobs better and more efficiently. That’s our ultimate goal.”

For more information about the Pennsylvania Municipal Government Academy, go to pmga.psats.org.