Troup County Clerk Valerie West was honored on Sept. 9, at a ceremony following her completion of the Georgia Clerks Education Institute Masters Education Management Development Program.

The program is a 60-hour curriculum developed in cooperation with the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the Georgia Municipal Clerks Association and the Georgia County Clerks Association. The courses are instructed by the Institute of Government Instructional faculty. The program provides an opportunity for certified city and county clerks to continue supervisory and management development and professional growth.

Upon completion of the coursework, participants must complete a project and reflection paper in order to earn the certificate. West began the program in September of 2016 after completing the Certified Clerk Program. For the Master’s program requirements, she completed a project using concepts learned from the program to offer additional electronic documents and services to the public through Troup County’s website.

According to West, the completion of this program will allow her to better navigate the challenges encountered within the duties of county clerk.

“There are greater challenges for today’s county clerks than in the past, including bigger input on ordinances and resolutions, among other items. I enjoyed the courses in this program because they were progressive and required further engagement than simply listening to a lecture, such as participating in discussions, writing assignments and collaborating with my peers,” West said.