Maureen Will, town director of emergency communications, has graduated from the Certified Public Safety Executive program sponsored by the Association of Public Safety Communications Professionals (APCO).

The program was established in 2016 and is designed to elevate professionalism, enhance individual performance, and recognize excellence in the public safety communications industry.

Participants may be managers, supervisors, agency executives, or others whose work and life experiences have motivated them to learn the necessary skills to successfully lead organizations within the complex environment in which public safety agencies operate, according to APCO.

Ms Will said recently that having completed the course, she now has more instructive techniques to use in training her staff at the Newtown Emergency Communications Center at Town Hall South.

“It grows them, and it grows me,” she said.

The training that she received is designed to having her serve as a mentor to her staff and provide leadership, said Ms Will.

“I’ve got a great staff,” she said, adding that the knowledge she gained from her training will allow her “to help them prepare for the future.” Ms Will began work as the town’s communications director in July 2008, after a long career at the Brookfield Police Department.

Ms Will said she has much yet to accomplish in her role in Newtown.

“Changes in technology, the regulatory and legal climate, and workforce dynamics make it an especially challenging time in our industry,” according to APCO Executive Director and CEO Derek K. Poarch.

The APCO program allows participants to explore topics that include management versus leadership, models/theories of leadership, leadership styles, public safety leadership issues, and executing and managing change, according to a statement from APCO.

Program instructors include master’s and doctoral level professionals in the field of organizational development and leadership.

APCO International is the world’s oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals.