Four Medicaid employees are now among a select group of state employees who have received the Certified Public Manager^® (CPM) designation following almost two years of study. Robin Arrington, Long Term Care; Nakeshia James, Administrative Services; Judy Thomas, Beneficiary Services; and Susan Watkins, Fiscal Agent Liaison, graduated October 16 in ceremonies at the State Capitol.

Offered to state employees through the Alabama Training Institute, the nationally-accredited Certified Public Manager^® training program helps participants learn new methods to achieve efficiency gains or cost savings in their agencies and to employ innovative approaches to solving problems. Courses include topics such as project management, performance coaching, building and leading teams, leadership and managing public organizations, among others.  Participants experience a sequence of courses, projects, examinations and relevant electives in the program. The four employees began their studies in January of 2012.

For longtime employees Robin Arrington and Judy Thomas, the CPM program was a rewarding experience. “The program enhanced my management skills and provided innovative ways to work with employees,” said Arrington. Thomas added, “The CPM course also taught me the importance of building an effective team.” Arrington has been employed by the Agency since 1995 and Thomas has been with the state of Alabama for 21 years, the last 11 at Medicaid.

A Medicaid employee since March 2004, Nakeshia James emphasized that the best thing about the program was learning new skills and techniques to enhance her leadership skills. “I also benefitted from CPM because it helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses as it pertains to supervising,” she said.

Susan Watkins, a Medicaid employee for 12 years, says she learned an obvious lesson that people sometimes forget - that people are all different. “It is much easier to work with people when you understand these differences,” she said.