(l to r) Dragan Spasojevic, Director of Infrastructure and Development, Mitrovica (North);Bernd Burwitz, Regional Head, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe;Richard Kobayashi, Senior Consultant, Collins Center  | Center Associate Participates in Historic International Forum
Outgrowth of 2009 UMass Boston Conference
The McCormack Graduate School (MGS) recently co-sponsored a Forum on Cities in Transition from Conflict in the divided city of Mitrovica in Kosovo. The Collins Center was represented at this conference by Senior Associate Dick Kobayashi, who has extensive experience in Kosovo. Dick lived in Kosovo from 2004-2007, when he was named resident advisor to the municipality of Gjilan by the Unites States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID, in the years following the breakup of the former Soviet Union, encouraged democratic values in the new countries created by the USSR's dissolution by sending in municipal experts like Dick to mentor and coach newly elected officials.
Mitrovica was halved 11 years ago in the aftermath of the war between NATO and Serbia. After the 1999 war, which first led to Kosovo's administration by the UN and later to independence in 2008, Mitrovica was for all practical purposes divided along the Ibar River into two distinct entities: North Mitrovica, which contains the Serbian population of the City and South Mitrovica, which contains the Albanian population of the City. Serbians and Albanians caught on the "wrong" ethnic side of the river migrated to the other, driven by fears of attack and reprisal.
Since then, the North has been governed by agencies of the United Nations and the European Union; the South initially by the UN, and, more recently, by locally elected officials. Mitrovica is divided not only by ethnicity, but also by national identity. Serbia, contiguous to North Mitrovica, rejects the claim of Kosovo's independence and the residents of North Mitrovica consider themselves citizens of Serbia.
Continues >>>
|
Summer Online Course Offering
Back by popular demand!
|
 The solid success of the first offering of the Collins Center's online course, Performance Management in Government and non-Profits, has prompted the scheduling of an additional session this summer, beginning July 12. The six modules will be available for completion on each individual's time frame, so there's no need to worry about the course conflicting with any vacation plans! Use the summer to update your management skills and learn how to improve the effectiveness of your organization.
The course is adapted from a graduate course taught last year by the Center's Founding Director, Shelley Metzenbaum, PhD. With a distinguished career in government and academia, Dr. Metzenbaum is a nationally recognized expert in the field of performance management. She currently serves as Associate Director of the President's Office of Management and Budget. The course is taught by Betsy Bury, who assisted in Dr. Metzenbaum's graduate course and who also has significant experience in performance management in both the public and non-profit sectors.
|
Center Working with Essex Regional Retirement Board
 The Center was recently retained by the Essex Regional Retirement Board (ERRB) to recruit its new Executive Director. The ERRB is a public pension system serving 19 towns, 6 regional schools, 17 housing authorities and 6 special districts throughout Essex County, Massachusetts. The Executive Director will administer the Board's daily operations, serving over 5,000 active and retired members of the retirement system.
Swampscott Town Administrator Andrew Maylor serves as Chairman of the ERRB and commented after the selection of the Collins Center, "We look forward to working with the experienced professionals of the Collins Center to find the right person to provide exemplary management and technical skills to the Board and its membership."
The Center established an executive recruitment practice upon its founding, in the belief that helping public organizations select the best leaders will result in increased organizational effectiveness. The Center has conducted successful searches for the Town Managers/Administrators in Winthrop, Princeton and Plymouth, as well as for the Chief Administrative and Financial Officer for Springfield and the Worcester City Treasurer/Collector. In addition to the ERRB position, the Center's is currently conducting the recruitment of the City of Lawrence Budget and Finance Director. For further information on the Center's Executive Recruitment practice, please contact Dick Kobayashi at richard.kobayashi@umb.edu.
|
Center to Help Ashby Analyze and Update Town Organizational Structure and Policies
Project Highlights the Challenges Faced by Small Towns in the Commonwealth
|
 The Town of Ashby recently entered into an agreement with the Collins Center for a review of the Town's management, organizational structure and personnel policies. A contract for these services was approved by the Board of Selectmen earlier this week.
Cities and towns across the Commonwealth are facing the simultaneous strains of declining resources and increased demands for municipal services. Due to their size, small towns like Ashby (pop. 3,000) also face additional challenges from various legal requirements to provide certain services, heavy reliance on volunteers, and few economies of scale in operations. As the budgetary and statutory environment gets more complicated, these challenges will continue to grow.
In Ashby's particular case, the Town has been without a Town Administrator since late 2009. Before they begin the process of hiring a new Town Administrator, Board members wanted an independent assessment of what the job entails and how the position fits in with the overall organizational structure. They were also interested in a review of the Town's personnel policies and procedures.
This project, combined with the experience and past work of Center staff, may lead to the eventual development of a management toolkit for small towns across the Commonwealth.
|
|
The Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
Phone: (617) 287- 4824
FAX: (617) 287- 5566
|
|
|
|
About Ed Collins
|
Throughout his outstanding public career, Edward J. Collins, Jr. epitomized the spirit and goals of the Center that now bears his name. We at the Collins Center are proud to continue the work of Ed's life - helping governments work effectively and productively for the benefit of their citizens.More about Ed |
|
|
