Citizen Advisory Boards
CAB Training

Each year, Washoe County provides several training opportunities to its Citizen Advisory Board members. Over the past several years, the County has expanded its training program to offer training to other Washoe County appointed board and commission members. During 2009 and 2011, CAB administrative staff filmed several of the CAB training sessions which are now available on video. Following are the training classes provided with applicable links to videos and training materials.

CAB New Member Orientation:  All new CAB members (as well as members returning following an absence from a CAB) are required to attend a New Member Orientation (NMO) session within six months of appointment.  Failure to comply with this requirement may result in automatic removal from the CAB.  NMO classes are held each September following the annual recruitment, with "make up" classes held as needed.  The purpose of NMO is to familiarize new CAB members with the CAB Members Handbook, make them aware of Open Meeting Law requirements for public bodies, and provide them with basic meeting management tools.  This class is a cooperative effort between Community Development staff, the County Liaisons, and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.  Following completion of NMO, CAB members receive their nameplates and an electronic copy of the CAB Members Handbook and supporting materials.  CAB members who do not have access to a personal computer will be provided paper copies of materials, upon request.  For additional information , please contact Andrea Tavener(see contact information below). 

Healthy Meetings for Board/Commission Members:  Healthy Meetings training is held each October and is a cooperative effort between Community Development staff, the County Liaisons, and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.  The purpose of the training is to teach board and commission members how to run a more effective meeting.  The training includes a faux "advisory board" meeting to model methods to efficiently work through the basic agenda items, deal with speakers who run over their alloted time limit, use the parking lot or bin to capture comments, keep board members and citizens on topic, and deal with disruptive outbursts from the public.  The training also includes Open Meeting Law requirements, publishing and posting agendas, meeting minutes and public records.  Meeting management techniques include indepth discussion on productive meetings, members as facilitative leaders, and chairing versus facilitating.  Below are links to the video from the October 28, 2009 class, powerpoint presentation, and handouts provided to participants.  Healthy Meetings training was also held on October 27, 2010, and will be offered again on October 26, 2011.  For additional information or to sign up for the October 26, 2011 training session, please contact Andrea Tavener (see contact information below).

Open Meeting Law for Board/Commission Members:  State law requires that meetings of public bodies must be open and public.  The Washoe County District Attorney's Office developed the Open Meeting Law (OML) training class specifically tailored to answer questions related to the Nevada Open Meeting Law.  In 2011, the District Attorney's Office added a Nevada Ethics in Government component to the class.  Open Meeting Law classes are typically offered in October with makeup classes held in February

Below are links to the handouts from the October 13, 2011 class that were provided to participants:

Below are links to the video from the March 29, 2011 class, powerpoint presentation, and handouts provided to participants.  . 

Essentials of Community Board Membership Certificate Program:  Washoe County recognizes the unique role and contribution of Washoe County appointed board and commission members to the overall success of our community.  In January 2011, in an effort to provide Washoe County appointed board and commission members a better understanding of the functions of County government and enhance their community leadership skills, Washoe County added a new training opportunity—Essentials of Community Board Membership—to its Excellence in Public Service certificate program.  This program is offered to all Washoe County Commission appointed board and commission members by the Washoe County Learning Center in collaboration with Washoe County Community Development, Washoe County Community Relations, Washoe County Human Resources, and UNR Cooperative Extension.  The Essentials of Community Board Membership certificate program is offered at no cost to participants.

Washoe County Engaged Leadership Academy:  The Spring 2011 newly designed Engaged Leadership Academy merged the Washoe County Leadership Academy and the University of Nevada's Cooperative Extension Engaged Leadership Program.  The Leadership Academy began in 2004 and focused on providing information on the vast services Washoe County provides through personal contact with elected officials and department heads, simulated trials, planning and emergency simulations, tours to behind the scenes of jail and other venues.  The Engaged Leadership Program has been taught in Washoe County since 2002 under the leadership of Dr. Marlene Rebori, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.  The Engaged Leadership Program was developed in partnership and close collaboration with Washoe County Community Development staff to provide citizen volunteers with leadership skills and tools.  The Spring 2011 Engaged Leadership Acedemy was offered to 25 participants, 18 years of age or older, who were committed to learning more about Washoe County, interested in building leadership skills, and dedicated to the desire to make a difference in their community.  The 8-week training program consisted of interactive sessions that were designed to cultivate a partnership between citizens and their County government.  Below are links to the brochure and schedule for the Spring 2011 Engaged Leadership Academy.  Future sessions are not currently scheduled. 

  CAB Program Contacts: