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In Touch with Tennessee
In Touch with Tennessee
Inside SELA: Building Confident Mid‑Level Leaders for Safer Communities
A five‑week academy that changes careers—and cultures—doesn’t happen by accident. We sit down with Jeff Lindsay and Dereck Stewart from the Law Enforcement Innovation Center to unpack how the Southeastern Leadership Academy (SELA) helps mid‑level managers become clear communicators, thoughtful decision‑makers and credible leaders at every rank. From the program’s evolution beyond SECLA to its largest class yet, the story is about growth with purpose: stronger people, safer operations, and communities that feel the difference.
Hi, and welcome to In Touch with Tennessee, a podcast of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service. Here today to talk to us about the Law Enforcement Innovation Center's Southeastern Leadership Academy, our LEIC program manager Jeff Lindsay and training associate Derek Stewart. Thank you both for joining us today.
SPEAKER_02:Good morning, Susan. Yes, good morning. Thank you for having us.
SPEAKER_01:So can one of you tell us a little bit about um the Southeastern Leadership Academy and who it is for?
SPEAKER_00:Derek, I'll defer to you, sir.
SPEAKER_02:Well, the the Southeastern Leadership Academy uh it's a five-week comprehensive um program designed for mid-level managers. Um although it it it is stipulated that it is uh designed for mid-level managers. We have people from from every rank that that attend this academy, and it makes for a very, very fruitful environment.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, and how long has it been around now? How many years?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I think I think the academy has been in uh been around over the over 20 years. Jeff, you may be able to give us a little bit better context than that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, the actual, yeah, actually uh the the CELA program itself has been around since 2015, uh, but its predecessor uh was SECLA, the Southeastern uh Command and Leadership Academy, uh, that was a seven-week program uh that had about a 15-year run uh as well. And then there was some uh redesign and uh some reevaluation done uh that led to the new SELA. And uh we've been we've been going strong uh for since the early 2000s.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. And how many attendees do you have usually in uh in the year?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I I say the program has really grown. I started with the program back in in 2020, and um we were averaging somewhere around 35 or 37 um uh leaders for for each class. And for this particular class that's in session right now, uh we have our largest class ever. We have 53 leaders from uh all across Tennessee. Uh we have one from Georgia and one from North Dakota. So our program has has really grown. And um Dr. Lindsay working with him and the the cadre of uh personnel that we bring on board, uh it's just been outstanding. And I think it's really uh uh being evident by the number of attendees that we have.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. Well, I have to ask, oh, I'm sorry, Jeff. Go ahead.
SPEAKER_00:I just want just want to add too, uh I've already gotten interest and uh communications from folks that are looking at the next session, uh starting next July, July of uh 2026. And in fact, yesterday I got a phone call from a uh SECLA grad back back when we had the SECLA program down in Mississippi that was interested in uh sending a couple of folks from uh his sheriff's office uh to see the next year. So it's it's really has uh got a reach beyond the state of Tennessee. That's great.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I and so so I was gonna ask though, I mean, it's um you said you have one from North Dakota this year. Uh that's uh that's a pretty far trek.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, he he certainly is our most traveled uh student, uh, but he's it's with the Williams County Sheriff Department in in North Dakota. Uh we've also had um leaders from Mississippi, uh, Georgia. We have one from Georgia and the classic in this year, and uh South Carolina as well.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. Um is the program in person or online or is it a combination of both?
SPEAKER_02:Well, the program is uh it's a five-week in-person uh program. It is held at the uh our partners down at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, and can you um talk to us a little bit, Derek, about the curriculum? What uh what are some of the topics that are addressed?
SPEAKER_02:Sure. Like uh like I mentioned before, it's a five-week comprehensive uh program. Um and each week has has its own theme, but I think the first two weeks of the Sealer program is the most revealing to our students. So we're able to learn so much about themselves, uh, and we want to take them down the path initially that they learn more about themselves and how they lead. Uh and then we transition to talking to them about teaching and leading others and then how to influence and their their own agency. Uh so they they have a strength-based-based leadership assessment within the first two weeks. Uh, they also have a disk uh disk assessment as well during the first two weeks. And I think those two things really, really get them curious about their own leadership styles, their own leadership strengths. And um also it is really revealing for some of the areas of opportunities that they may have that they maybe need to polish their skills up a little bit more. Um also the first two weeks is really, really heavy in basic communication. When you're talking about uh how to verbally talk to their uh their personnel, to their leaders, but uh they also have a uh a course uh entitled uh writing for leaders. So we teach them a few principles about how to write, uh how to better write. And lastly, we we kind of wrap things up from the standpoint of making sure that they understand how it's important to listen as well. So that the first two weeks are very, very comprehensive and uh it's a deep dive into who each one of these leaders are.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, that's great. That sounds a lot that's as much personal growth as professional growth.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, absolutely. I I'd like to add to that too, Susan. One of one of the key uh components of the program is peer learning. Uh, we are we're fortunate to get a wide range, a wide variety of attendees uh from across the state and outside the state. Uh our primary focus is within the state. And uh Derek had mentioned our our partner down in UT Chattanooga. Uh we have uh a long-lasting partnership like since SELA first began with the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice uh Programs or OCJP, and they have been steadfast in their support uh throughout the years. And so we always uh want to make sure that uh they know that we appreciate them and and uh their their support of the program. But getting back to the the peer learning, so we have folks from the largest agencies in the state uh to some of the smallest, sheriff's offices, police departments, uh state law enforcement uh agencies, and that is something that's really encouraged uh throughout the program. And most of the attendees uh are folks that that come from outside the Chattanooga area and uh will be lodged uh overnight during the the weeks of the delivery. So not only in class, but also out of class, they have those opportunities to touch base with their partners in the class and and uh learn from them their perspectives on uh some of the same issues.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, and what are what are some of the comments that you hear from the participants once they've completed the program?
SPEAKER_02:Well, some of the comments that that I hear um uh quite often is I I I stayed, I try to stay in contact with them as much as possible. Uh I hear real significant uh uh feedback from the standpoint of how they are better uh leading their people. Um they're they're stronger, that they feel like that they are stronger, and it's created uh opportunities for um, I guess, upward mobility for them. Uh I challenge each and every one of them that tend to class that they really need to be considering two levels above where they currently are. And it's it's really come to pass that many of them have had opportunities where they've been, they've been elevated once and sometimes they've been elevated twice within a very, very short period of time. And they attribute a lot of it from the standpoint of being able to uh to be in Sila, and as as Jeff was alluding to, the the peer learning, how they hear from other organizations, because so many times they hear so many negative things about their own agency, and then they come uh amongst their peers and they realize that, hey, we're quite normal. Uh we're not as broken as as what we think we are. And so that that creates a lot of optimism uh with their leadership.
SPEAKER_00:And on the feedback, too, uh there are several agencies that use SELA or it's a its equivalent programs uh to be a foundational step prior to promotion. So it's very gratifying uh when we hear back from uh some of the attendees that, you know, with like Derek said, within short order for many of them, uh they have been promoted and have new responsibilities that they would not have had uh otherwise without their CELA attendance.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, and that's that's a perfect segue for my next question. Um the CeeLo is just one of the programs in the LEIC leadership, you know, training um stable. What are some of the other what are the others?
SPEAKER_00:Well, our our our primary leadership programs uh that are are not strictly, but you know, primarily focused on leadership, the skills, and we we call it an art and a science, uh in terms of what it actually is, uh, because oftentimes it's it's not formalaic that you if you do this, then you get this. You have to have a a lot of of perspective and uh flexibility in terms of of applying leadership into different contexts and situations. But our primary uh programs are our first line leadership, that's a 24-hour, uh, three-day course, and then our advanced leadership, uh, which is uh also a three-day course. And we what we will do, we we often get a lot of uh attendees that hit all three, uh, and they earn a certificate of organizational leadership if they've uh graduated from all three of our our programs, first line, advanced, and and sea law.
SPEAKER_01:Um course, can you talk about the importance of you know such leadership training in this in the law enforcement area?
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. Um I would say I've been in law enforcement for for over three three decades, and and I've seen that leadership is is is so paramount. It's paramount from the standpoint of leading our our organizations, but more importantly, of leading and keeping our our personnel safe. And so many of our young leaders coming up today, they're looking for that that mentor, they're looking for that that individual that's going to give them guidance and uh and and and helps them to uh further their journey. And so leadership is really critical, uh, not just in law enforcement, but it but in all areas of uh of life right now. Uh but uh that there's so many people that is counting on the law enforcement personnel to do a good job. And um they're not just serving themselves, they're serving uh our next door neighbors, they're serving the citizens that are traveling up and down the highways and all. So leadership is paramount at at every aspect of our agencies. And our our chief executive officers within our organizations, they're looking for leaders at every level as well. We're not just looking for people that's just a top of the organization. We need it from every level, and uh it's very important for everyone coming into law enforcement to understand that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and I I'd like to add to that too, uh, in addition to the to the peer learning, uh Derek models leadership uh for the attendees. And uh he mentioned three decades in law enforcement. I just want to want to highlight those three decades were going from a road trooper uh to the colonel of the Tennessee uh highway patrol. So he has got uh just a wealth of experience of management leadership at at all different levels and is able to parlay that into uh not just talking about leadership, but being an example of leadership with the the CELA sessions.
SPEAKER_01:Right. And uh then the Law Enforcement Innovation Center is very is very lucky to have you on board, Derek.
SPEAKER_02:Well, thank you. I do I do appreciate that, and uh I really uh enjoy the opportunity to um to pay it back.
SPEAKER_01:Oh great. Well, thank you both for joining us today. And thank you, listeners. Be sure to subscribe to In Touch with Tennessee, where you find your favorite podcasts.