Leigh District Supervisor Jerry R. Townsend recently received recognition for better equipping himself to represent his constituents and serve the county at large.

He was one of six students being honored when the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) and the Virginia Cooperative Extension recognized the 13th graduating class of the Virginia Certified County Supervisors’ Program (VCCSP) on Nov. 13 in Bath County.

A VACo press release noted that the 18-month certification program is a partnership between the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech and VACo to provide training to enhance the leadership and decision-making skills of county supervisors in the commonwealth. Officials cited in the release that the program was created to provide VACo members with more in-depth knowledge about government and governing.

“Congratulations to our newest graduates on completing one of VACo’s premier educational programs,” VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch said in the release. “We now have more than 75 graduates from more than 40 counties since the program’s first class in 2006. I was proud to join the ranks of other graduates in 2016, and I can attest that this is a master’s degree-level program. I encourage more supervisors to participate in  this unique educational program.”Townsend is the fourth Prince Edward supervisor to graduate from the VCCSP.

“I’m grateful to have completed the certification program,” he said, “and certainly it has given me a stronger foundation in local governance, and it will assist me in my decision-making as well as make me better able to represent the constituents of Leigh District.”

He noted having long been interested in the VCCSP and said he was encouraged and inspired to enroll by Hampden District Supervisor Dr. Odessa Pride and Farmville 801 District Supervisor and Board Chair Pattie Cooper-Jones, both of whom are graduates of the program.

Townsend affirmed that any supervisor can choose to enroll, and he highlighted a key question for supervisors to ask themselves.“Are you best equipped to represent your constituents?” he said. “The program is only going to make you better. So I really encourage all supervisors to enroll …”

Former Prince Edward Supervisor Don Gantt is also a graduate.

The VACo press release cited that the VCCSP provides an overview of the issues, expectations and practices associated with serving as a county supervisor, as well as detailed information about local government.

Offering specifics on what Townsend and other supervisors did to graduate, officials in the release stated that each participant completes five core courses that span 55 hours of classroom instruction and 45 hours of home study. The courses focus on leadership development, duties and responsibilities of public officials, community planning, local government finance and collaborative governance.

Based on his experience of working with supervisors, Prince Edward County Administrator Wade Bartlett spoke to the benefit of the VCCSP.

“It’s very good for the newer supervisors because they get an understanding of various categories that we deal with, which planning (and) also budgeting are two of the biggest ones,” he said. “So it gives them a leg up, so to speak, on supervisors who do not attend that class. Once you’re a supervisor for a while, you get immersed in all of it anyway, but that takes a few years, so this provides a much faster update of the different areas that you have to become familiar with.”

Townsend said the most important thing made possible by the program was “the opportunity to network with … colleagues from other counties and to learn what they do and how they do conduct business. That was an integral part of the program, but also it gives you a better foundation in budgeting, community planning, leadership. So, it’s really a well-rounded program.”

He issued thanks to Bartlett and all of the supervisors for their support in connection to his VCCSP participation.

“I just want to be able to do the best job I can in representing not only the Leigh District constituents but the citizens of the county, and this program only made me better,” he said.