Butte County outlines leadership academy as succession plan amid staffing vacancies

Human Resources Director Sherry Waters briefed the Board of Supervisors on March 10 about the Butte County Leadership Academy, a year-long program intended to strengthen succession planning and internal leadership. The academy, now in its third year, combines a 10-day course for frontline supervisors and a postgraduate collaborative series delivered with Butte College.

Waters said the county has roughly 2,400 positions, about 275 current vacancies and about 500 employees who will be eligible to retire soon, creating a need for succession planning and leadership development. Participants praised the program: supervising employment and eligibility supervisor Tammy Osmos said the training helped her build leadership skills and cross-department relationships, and senior program manager Nick Ostrosky and Dennis Bryant described the program’s practical benefits for county operations and collaboration.

Supervisors commended the program and asked staff to continue evolving the curriculum and to return with updates.