Executive Certificate in Higher Impact Leadership

Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department
Fairfax County Organizational Development & Training
Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University 

Please join us for a virtual information session via Zoom with our esteemed instructor team and program managers on the following dates: 

1. Thursday, March 20th, 11 to 11:30 p.m.
2. Thursday, April 17th, 11 to 11:30 p.m.

The session will last approximately 30-40 minutes. To obtain the login information, please email ExecEd@gmu.edu.

Hybrid (primarily virtual, with optional in-person sessions at the GMU Fairfax Campus)

Thursday, May 1st – Thursday, July 31st, 2025 (14 weeks total)

• May 1st: Program Opening Session - Kick off the program with an optional in-person session at the GMU Fairfax Campus, followed by an informal coffee meet-up. Attendance is encouraged but not required. 
• May 8th - June 26th: Eight Weeks of Self-Paced Study - Weekly asynchronous course sessions will be released, allowing participants to progress at their own pace.
• July 1st: Conference Day - Participate in an engaging, in-person conference designed to foster meaningful networking and professional connections. Enjoy insightful discussions and refreshments at GMU Fairfax Campus. Attendance is encouraged but not required. 
• July 3rd - 31st: Four–Week Self-Study Period - This extra period empowers participants to delve deeply into the material, reinforcing their additional time allows participants to deepen their understanding, complete assignments, and reinforce key concepts, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience. 
   

This program empowers individuals with essential skills and knowledge, cultivating excellence in the fields of risk management and strategic leadership. Committed to advancing principles within the public sector, especially in public safety, it’s tailored to deliver high-quality training that spans the entire workforce. It aims to equip individuals to effectively harness the power of collective thinking and intentional collaboration in the public leadership domain.

This program is crafted exclusively for seasoned leaders in management roles and those holding supervisory or above positions. It is ideal for individuals with a wealth of management experience.

Applicants should preferably hold a bachelor's degree. However, we understand that exceptional talent often comes with diverse educational backgrounds. Therefore, equivalent degrees or significant work experience in relevant fields will also be considered. Please email ExecEd@gmu.edu for application information.

Students must complete all 10 courses listed below and actively participate in study projects and group discussions to enrich their learning experience. While homework submissions are not required for every course, each student must submit a minimum one-page program reflection paper by the end of the self-study period on July 1st, 2025, to qualify for certificate completion.

$2,500/person

April 25th, 2025

Upon completion, participants will be awarded an “Executive Certificate in Higher Impact Leadership” from the Schar School of George Mason University; and will earn 2.0 CEUs (Continuing Education Units). For the CEUs application, kindly reach out to ExecEd@gmu.edu via email.

Participants opting to pursue a graduate certificate or master's program following the successful completion of the Higher Impact Leadership Program can avail themselves of the following advantages for Spring and Fall 2025.

• Application fee waiver for Schar School graduate certificate and master’s programs.
• A $500 tuition discount applied to their initial Schar School class if admitted within one year of completing the Higher Impact Leadership Program. Additionally, master's degree students may be eligible for extra merit aid up to $10k based on the strength of their application.

• This program primarily caters to Fairfax County Public Safety personnel, Fairfax County Government, and interested private and public professionals.
• This program welcomes individuals who wish to pursue a master's degree, but equivalent work experience is also a suitable qualification.

1. Thursday, May 1st, 2025 Opening Session – In Person: Opening Cross-Sector Collaboration: Strategies and challenges of collaborating across sectors to address complex issues. *Attendance is encouraged but not required. Recording will be provided after the course.
   • Cathy Schafrik, served as the Director of HR for FFX (Fairfax County) for 15 years; currently is the County Administrator for Greene County since Jun 2023.
      
2. Strengthening Community Partnerships Through Networks: Explore practical strategies for building and sustaining strong community partnerships by effectively leveraging networks. Drawing from scholarly insights and real-world applications, we will focus on actionable approaches to fostering collaboration, enhancing trust, and maximizing collective impact.
   • Qian Hu, professor, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University; specializes in emergency management, organizational networks, network governance, social media, and big data.
      
3. Budgeting: An introduction to budgeting in the public sector, covering principles, processes, and the importance of effective budget management
   • Michelle Casciato, adjunct professor, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University; served as a Deputy County Executive for Prince William County, Virginia until 2023.
      
4. Project Management: Explore project management principles and practices, a contemporary approach to efficient project delivery. Emphasizing the role of experience and insights from peers in various agencies, a shared concern among numerous county agencies. 
   • Cathy Schafrik, served as the Director of HR for FFX (Fairfax County) for 15 years; currently is the County Administrator for Greene County since Jun 2023.
      
5. Effective Negotiations and AI Tools for Negotiation.
   • Terry Clower, Professor, Director of Mason's Center for Regional Analysis, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University.
      
6. Crisis Management: Gain insights into crisis management strategies that can help any leader learn how to manage the chaos before, during, and after an incident!
   • Will Flagler, Director of Public Safety Communications & Emergency Management
      
7. Leadership Strategy: Leadership strategies and practices for effective management in public administration.
   • Jill Rough, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at George Mason University - Schar School of Policy and Government
      
8. Influencing Policy: How to influence policy-making processes and drive change.
   • Michelle Casciato, adjunct professor, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University; served as a Deputy County Executive for Prince William County, Virginia until 2023.
      
9. Strategic Communications: Explore the principles of strategic communication in public administration.
   • Craig Fifer, Senior Advisor to the Commissioner, Virginia Department of Social Services; Adjunct Professor of Ethics, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University
      
10. Tuesday, July 1st, 2025 Closing Session – In Person: Conference and Social Event: Change Management and Managing Organizational Communication; Explore how leaders can make technical changes and long-term cultural shifts. *Attendance is encouraged but not required. No recording will be provided for the closing session. 
    • Anne Holton, former interim president of George Mason University, professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government and in the College of Education and Human Development, and Senior Fellow at EdPolicyFoward.

*The composition of the instructor team is subject to change based on their availabilities.

Michelle Casciato, PhD, is an adjunct professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government. Her research interests include public policy, bureaucracy, budgets and organizations. Casciato served as Deputy County Executive for Prince William County, Virginia, following earlier positions as Director of the Office of Management & Budget and Neighborhood Services Division Chief. Prior to entering the public sector, Casciato was vice president of a large real estate management firm in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Casciato earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and both her master’s in public administration and PhD in political science from George Mason University.

Terry Clower is Northern Virginia Chair and professor of public policy in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He is also director of Mason's Center for Regional Analysis. The Center provides economic and public policy research services to sponsors in the private, nonprofit, and public sectors. Prior to joining Mason, Clower was director for the Center for Economic Development and Research at the University of North Texas. He also spent 10 years employed in private industry in logistics and transportation management positions.

Craig Fifer is a Strategic Communicator and an Adjunct Professor of Ethics, the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.  Senior Advisor to the Commissioner, Virginia Department of Social Services.

William N. Flagler Jr. is the Director of the Arlington County Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management (DPSCEM). Previously, Director Flagler served as the Deputy Director of DPSCEM where he took the lead in directing the immediate operations of Emergency Management, overseeing strategic planning, providing policy guidance for the development and implementation of the budget, administering and coordinating the management of grants related to homeland security, and monitoring the implementation of the County’s emergency plans in County departments and with resident groups and other organizations and was responsible for emergency operations and public safety situational awareness.

Director Flagler's previous experience includes being the founding Director of the Department of Emergency Management and Safety at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) which is the largest institution of Higher Education in the Commonwealth of Virginia. During his time at NOVA, he successfully coordinated the response and recovery associated with an active shooter in 2009 and other complex emergency incidents. He was also an Assistant Coordinator for Loudoun County Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management.

Director Flagler has nearly 20 years of progressively responsible executive leadership experience. He’s earned master’s degrees in Public Administration and Homeland Security. Mr. Flagler holds a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM®) designation as well as the Virginia Professional Emergency Manager designation (VaPEM). He is also a Certified Public Manager (CPM). He is a graduate of the Naval Post Graduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security, Executive Leadership Program, and Leadership Arlington c/o 17. He also received training from the Harvard University, Crisis Leadership Program.

Director Flagler received the Meritorious Service Award from the Arlington Chamber in 2017. He is also an adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University and served as a Visiting Scholar at Virginia Tech University. He has also held leadership positions in the Virginia Emergency Management Association (VEMA) to include 1^st VP and Chief Financial Officer for two separate consecutive terms. Director Flagler has also been recognized by the Leadership Center for Excellence and the International Association of Emergency Managers as a 40 under 40 honoree.

Anne Holton is back as a faculty member after serving as Interim President of George Mason University from 2019-20. She is a professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government and in the College of Education and Human Development, and a Senior Fellow at EdPolicyForward. She is a lifelong advocate for children and families in Virginia.

With an AB from Princeton and a Harvard law degree, Holton has worked as a legal aid lawyer serving low-income families, a juvenile and domestic relations district court judge, a child welfare reformer, and Virginia’s Secretary of Education.

She helped integrate the inner-city schools of Richmond, Virginia, as a child when her father was Virginia's governor in the early 1970s. As Virginia’s First Lady when her husband was governor in 2006-10, Holton championed foster care system reform. As Virginia’s Secretary of Education in 2014-16, she worked to increase Virginia’s investment in public education, to promote innovation and the joy of teaching and learning in our schools, and to ensure every student has a successful pathway to the future, especially those in high-poverty communities. Her life’s work has focused on children and families at the margin, and the crucial role education must play in helping young people escape poverty.

Holton currently serves on the Virginia Board of Education. She and her husband, now a U.S. senator, live in Richmond, Virginia. They have three adult children, all of whom attended Richmond Public Schools.

Qian Hu is a professor at Schar School of Policy and Government. She specializes in emergency management, organizational networks, network governance, social media, and big data. Before joining the Schar School, Qian was a faculty member in the School of Public Administration at the University of Central Florida (UCF) from 2011 to 2023 and directed its nationally ranked graduate emergency management programs.

Qian has spent more than a decade researching organizational networks and applying network analysis tools to understanding interorganizational communication and coordination in the context of disasters. Her recent research applied machine learning algorithms to investigate the challenges and opportunities facing government agencies when using social media platforms to engage citizens, nonprofit organizations, and businesses in crisis communication and disaster response.

Qian has published 39 refereed journal articles and two co-authored books about networks. Qian is currently the chair of the ASPA’s Section on Complexity and Network Studies and executive committee member of the ASPA’s Section on Emergency and Crisis Management and Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management. She is associate editor for Natural Hazard Review and Chinese Public Administration Review. She serves on the editorial board for Public Performance & Management Review and several other journals.

Dr. Jill A. Rough is an Adjunct Professor and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.

Dr. Rough brings nearly 30 years of national security and defense-related policy and practice. She most recently served as Director of Research and Analysis for the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, which released its Final Report to Congress and the President in March 2020. She has previously conducted security and defense related research with the Center for Naval Analyses, RAND Corporation, and the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center.

Additionally, she served over 7 years as an active-duty Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy before transitioning to become an Information Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. She has completed five command tours and is currently serving as Commanding Officer, Naval Information Force Reserve Region Minneapolis where she leads a nation-wide enterprise of 26 units and over 850 Sailors in support of the Office of Naval Intelligence.

Dr. Rough teaches advanced qualitative methods, program evaluation, public speaking, and applied leadership. She has been invited to speak to a wide variety of academic, military, business, and civic organizations.

Cathy Schafrik County Administrator, Greene County Government, Stanardsville, VA. Equipped with more than 15 years’ experience driving successful operations and programs across the Human Resource function, Cahty Schafrik possesses the valuable skillset required to not only improve employee satisfaction and performance but also effectively lead data-driven, informed strategies and decisions. Her expertise encompasses all aspects of human resource management, including recruitment, employee benefits, equality, diversity/inclusion program management, budget management, and staff training/induction.