Chief Parham Becomes NJ Certified Public Manager

During a ceremony at Rutgers University on Friday, August 14th, Linden Police Chief Jonathan Parham became the first Linden Police Officer to complete the New Jersey Public Manager (CPM) program. The program is designed around the core leadership requirements established by the National Consortium of Certified Public Managers. The curriculum was developed jointly by Rutgers University’s School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) and the State of New Jersey’s Civil Service Commission to meet the complex demands and challenges of the 21st-century public management environment.
“It’s certainly a demanding curriculum,” “Parham said. “It pushes you outside your comfort zone and forces you to look at things from a different perspective, but the opportunity to work with leaders from all over the state, each with a different area of expertise, is a valuable experience.”
The CPM program covers 21 courses over a 10-month period, and participants are required to demonstrate their newly-learned skills in the form of a 50-hour capstone project that benefits their organization. In his project, Chief Parham discussed risk mitigation and evaluating performance using body worn cameras. Chief Parham was selected as one of seven nominees for the Askew Award.  The award is named after George C. Askew, the first graduate (alphabetically) of the initial Certified Public Manager Program and recognizes those who have demonstrated exemplary work in the completion of their Project.
“The fact that Chief Parham completed the CPM Program doesn’t surprise me,” Mayor Derek Armstead commented. “He consistently and continually attempts to improve the Linden Police Department and he is always seeking ways to implement more effective policing strategies.”