Twenty-seven Delaware Department of Labor (DOL) employees from across the state graduated from the annual DOL Leadership Academy, hosted by the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA). The cohort completed six full-day sessions focused on enhancing professional competencies, including leading practices in public sector leadership, human-centered design thinking, navigating a diverse workforce, effective communication for managing change and conflict, project implementation and organizational innovation. Program speakers included Joy Jordan, associate policy scientist, IPA; Troy Mix, associate director, IPA; Sarah Marshall, associate policy scientist, IPA; Jennifer Daniels, national poverty fellow at the Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin; Christine Fischer, professor of design thinking at UD; Jennifer Clement, owner and lead strategist of Educere Institute; and Thomas H. DeWire, founder of EdScale. From March through June, the academy participants completed capstone projects to improve customer experience and outcomes. On June 12, 2025, DOL’s senior leaders attended the academy's concluding session, where each team presented its capstone project.