Developing Public Leaders
The State of Iowa, with Drake University, offers a nationally-accredited Certified Public ManagerĀ® (CPM) program. Through this program, we seek to maintains Iowa's high level of commitment to professional development and public service.
List items for About CPM
CPM is an intensive learning experience for supervisors, managers, executives, management staff, and project managers. Participants include employees from federal, state, county, and local governments. The program includes discussion, traditional classroom experiences at Drake University, and online learning. Participants also complete one team project related to a real-life situation, problem, or concern in their job. This gives them the opportunity to apply the theories, principles, and techniques they learned in the CPM program.
History
In 2002, the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, Human Resources Enterprise (DAS-HRE) and Drake University partnered to offer a Certified Public Manager ProgramĀ® (CPM) for Iowa.
CPM is an intensive learning experience unlike anything offered before by the State. The program places emphasis on problem solving and teamwork. It was built on the direction established in the Governor's Leadership Agenda and the Iowa Excellence Initiative.
The Iowa CPM program is accredited by the National Certified Public ManagerĀ® Consortium. The program focuses on professionalizing the practice of public management in much the same way as other occupations.
Today we face tight budgets, increased accountability, and a drain of our talent and knowledge as workers retire. Organizations that invest in employee development through CPM will benefit from the participant's enhanced skill set. They will also strengthen their workplace by having fully-developed managers in critical support roles. The CPM program offers a comprehensive educational experience and leads to enhanced performance. It's affordable, too!
Benefits of participation
Graduates receive:
- CPM designation
- Best-practice management strategies and enhancement of personal leadership strengths
- Increase in intergovernmental networks and communication
- One year's experience for some state job classifications
- Nine hours of graduate credit from Drake University, which may be applied toward a Master of Public Administration degree
Organizations receive:
- Work-related projects that enhance research, problem-solving, and planning
- Improved efficiency, effectiveness, and cost-saving skills and knowledge
- Enhanced skills to build a high performing workplace
- Innovative approaches
- Improved intergovernmental communication
- Strengthen organizations through improving the performance of Iowa's public managers
- Encourage the recognition of public management as a profession
- Establish a course of study by which knowledge about self, groups, and organizations may be acquired
- Foster and maintain high educational and ethical standards in the practice of public management
- Establish an objective assessment for a public manager's professional knowledge and performance
- Provide enhanced professional recognition of management development by public managers
CPM Schedules
Congratulations, Graduates!
CPM Cohort 41 graduated in June 2025
CPM Graduates
Patrick Beane, City of Des Moines
Adam Benson, Health & Human Services
Becky Blum, Health & Human Services
Matthew Boothby, Health & Human Services
Austin Decker, City of West Des Moines
Nathaniel Epperson, Iowa Department of Transportation
Ronda Feeley, City of West Des Moines
Wendy Hoogeveen, Health & Human Services
Michele Kearney, Department of Corrections
Kelly Kruse, Health & Human Services
Steven Martinez, Health & Human Services
Cassie McAllister, Health & Human Services
Margot McComas, Health & Human Services
Shiloh Mork, City of Webster City
Amarre Negussie, City of Des Moines
David Odell Philmon, Jr., Health & Human Services
Lisa Pederson, City of Des Moines
Dustin Rawdon, City of Cedar Falls
Aaron Rinehart, Health & Human Services
Molly Rupert, City of Des Moines
Jason Underwood, City of Des Moines
Elizabeth Webster, Health & Human Services
Meagnon Wilson, Department of Administrative Services
Corey Bogenreif, City of Des Moines
Percy Coleman, Des Moines Fire Department
Tracey Gibson, Iowa Division of Labor
Daniel Grauerholz, City of Des Moines
Christopher Leeman, Department of Transportation
Laura Lyons, Des Moines Fire Department
Katie Mulford, Health & Human Services - Aging
Proscovia Nalukanga, Self-sponsored
Sarah Plowman, Iowa Economic Development Authority
Jessica Reese McIntyre - Department of Natural Resources
Zach Simpson, Department of Transportation
Sean Snyder, Winneshiek County Emergency Management
Ben Wallace, Department of Natural Resources
Peter Zemansky, City of Des Moines
Eric Alaniz, Polk County
Clint Carpenter, City of West Des Moines
Jason Etnyre, City of Des Moines
John Foster, Black Hawk County
Sara Grier, Department of Administrative Services
Karyn Hartwig-Evans, Department of Corrections
Samira Ikeljic, Health & Human Services
Julie Johnson, Department of Transportation
Shellie Klommhaus, Health & Human Services
Brandon Lafrenz, Department of Transportation
Mark McCulloch, City of West Des Moines
Lindsay Offenburger, City of Norwalk
Manisha Paudel, City of Des Moines
Kimberly Pierson, Health & Human Services
Megan Reedy, Department of Public Safety
Ryan Rivas, City of Des Moines
Clint Robinson, Waukee Fire Department
Heather Semke, Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System
Paul Stagg, City of Walcott
Mak Suceska, Health & Human Services
Hali Van Velzen, Des Moines Fire Department
Jenny Veale, Department of Transportation
Ty Wheeler, Granger Fire Department
Ann Baughman, Department of Corrections
Anna Thomas, Department of Natural Resources
Erin Casella, Health & Human Services
Herbert Doudney, City of Oelwin
Joshua Duden, Department of Public Safety
Cail Fletcher, Grimes Public Library
Traci Furstenau, Department of Transportation
Kelly Greenfield, Office of the Chief Information Officer
Travis Heaton, Health & Human Services
Fionnuala Hutchins, Grimes Public Library
Amethyst Keeling, Department of Transportation
Deanne Krumm, Alcoholic Beverages Division
Callie Le'au Courtright, City of Des Moines
Dani Lisk, City of Des Moines
Michael Mauro, Polk County Sherriff's Office
Jessica McBride, Health & Human Services
Chad McCluskey, City of Windsor Heights
Chad Nicolino, City of Des Moines
Mindy Norwood, Health & Human Services
Heather Redenius, City of Des Moines
Garret Reeder, Department of Transportation
Diana Ronk, Judicial Branch
Madeline Schmitt, Department of Transportation
Amy Seyffer, Department of Natural Resources
Kaylynn Short, Iowa PBS
Jennifer Steenblock, Health & Human Services
David Stierman, Department of Transportation
Jessica Turba, Health & Human Services
Resources for CPM
