Promoted into Incompetence? The Leadership Trap We Don’t Talk About Enough (Live Webinar)
This candid, practitioner-led webinar explores a widespread challenge in public service: promoting technically proficient professionals into leadership roles without adequate preparation. Dr. David E. Fraser draws on 25+ years of local government and higher education leadership to address the confidence-competence gap, revealing how unready promotions can lead to budget missteps, team disengagement, and stalled reform. This session is free to attend and open to the public. It includes real-world examples, practical leadership tools, and strategies for building intentional internal leadership pipelines.
Graduate students in public and healthcare administration, leadership, or management programs are encouraged to check with their professors to determine whether attendance may be eligible for course-related credit.
Ideal for students, practitioners, and faculty committed to smarter leadership development.
Registration
Date: September 18, 2025
Time: 3:00 PM PDT / 6:00 PM EDT (60 minutes)
Format: Live Webinar
Host: Conference of Minority Public Administrators (COMPA)
Cosponsors: ASPA Research Triangle, ICMA NCCU Chapter, NCCU Graduate Association of Public Administration
Audience: Public administrators, graduate students, nonprofit leaders, and faculty
Live Webinar Conversation: Reimagining Healthcare with Diana Cantu-Reyna, RN
Join Dr. David E. Fraser and Diana Cantu-Reyna, RN—holistic nurse coach and trauma-informed systems educator—for a live conversation exploring the deeper challenges of funding health-focused initiatives in public service and nonprofit environments. This session will unpack the cultural, structural, and operational barriers that leaders face when trying to secure sustainable funding and implement mission-driven change.
The first hour will feature an open dialogue between Diana and Dr. Fraser, covering topics such as grant strategy, leadership gaps in healthcare systems, and navigating burnout in values-driven work. The final segment invites live attendees to join the discussion through audience Q&A. This webinar will be recorded and later released as a featured episode on the Reimagining Healthcare podcast.
Healthcare graduate students are encouraged to check with their professors to determine whether attendance may qualify for course-related credit.
Registration
Date: September 13, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM PDT
Format: Live Zoom Webinar + Audience Q&A + Podcast
Host: Diana Cantu-Reyna, RN, Reimagining Healthcare Podcast
Audience: Healthcare professionals, nonprofit leaders, graduate students, and the public
APA 7 Simplified: A Practical Guide to Academic Formatting (Live Webinar)
This live webinar offers a practical and accessible walkthrough of APA Style, 7th Edition—widely used in the social sciences, public administration, education, and health-related disciplines. Designed with both novice and returning students in mind, the session will guide attendees through key formatting elements that are essential to academic success.
Led by Dr. David E. Fraser, a university faculty member and course designer for research methods and graduate writing, the session will cover:
- Proper paper structure, including title pages, headers, and reference formatting
- How to cite scholarly sources using both narrative and parenthetical in-text formats
- The logic of APA citations and why consistency matters
- Techniques for avoiding plagiarism and managing paraphrasing
- Common mistakes in student papers and how to avoid them
- Tools and templates to make APA compliance easier and less stressful
College and university students—particularly those enrolled in Research Methods courses or social science programs—are encouraged to check with their professors to determine whether this session may qualify for academic credit or supplemental course participation.
Attendees will receive a downloadable APA resource guide, along with access to templates, citation tools, and example references to reinforce key concepts after the session. Whether you’re writing a case study, a policy brief, or a research paper, these materials are designed to help you apply APA standards with confidence.
Registration
Date: September 26, 2025
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 PM PDT (2 hours)
Format: Webinar with Q&A
Host: Dept. of Public Affairs & Administration
California State University, East Bay
Audience: Undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and members of the public
How to Write a Winning Grant Proposal (In Person, Walnut Creek, CA)
This full-day, in-person seminar offers a practical and empowering deep dive into the grant development process—from concept to funder alignment, proposal design, logic modeling, budgeting, and evaluation. Dr. David E. Fraser, author of Grantcraft and a long-serving local government executive, will also introduce a new ethics-focused module based on his book—highlighting transparency, community alignment, and mission-driven storytelling.
Participants will learn how to:
- Conduct a feasibility scan before writing a proposal
- Craft persuasive narratives and program justifications
- Align with funder expectations while staying true to organizational values
- Build realistic, measurable evaluation plans
- Create budgets that strengthen—not weaken—your application
This session is ideal for community-based organizations and agencies seeking strategic funding in a highly competitive landscape. The workshop is free of charge, but space is limited.
Registration
Date: October 9, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
Format: In-Person Seminar
Location: Shadelands Auditorium, 111 N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek, CA
Host: City of Walnut Creek Arts + Rec Division
Partner Sponsor: Sensational Seniors Workshops by Custom Moving Solutions™
Audience: Nonprofit leaders, healthcare administrators, public sector professionals
Cost: Free (limited seating – max 2 representatives per organization)
How to Write a Winning Grant Proposal (In Person Seminar, Hercules, CA)
Date: October 28, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM PDT
Format: Seminar
Location: Hercules, CA
Host: Sup. Shanelle Scales-Preston, Contra Costa County
Audience: Public & Healthcare Administrators, Nonprofit leaders, and members of the public
This in-depth, full-day seminar equips professionals with the skills and insights needed to develop compelling, fundable grant proposals—grounded in both strategy and ethics. Drawing from the framework introduced in Grantcraft, Dr. David E. Fraser guides participants through the full proposal lifecycle, beginning with a foundational session on conducting feasibility studies to ensure mission alignment, stakeholder readiness, and measurable community need.
From there, the seminar progresses through proposal design, logic modeling, budgeting, and evaluation strategy—offering a comprehensive toolkit for both novice and experienced grant seekers. Special attention will be given to ethical approaches in grant writing, including transparent budgeting, credible outcome projections, and meaningful community engagement.
Participants will learn how to:
- Assess organizational and programmatic readiness through feasibility analysis
- Construct a needs statement that communicates urgency, clarity, and credibility
- Translate broad ideas into measurable program objectives and outcomes
- Build evaluation plans that satisfy funder expectations and support internal improvement
- Develop budgets that align with narrative and reflect responsible stewardship
Whether you’re preparing to apply for a local foundation grant or a competitive federal opportunity, this seminar will strengthen your ability to communicate vision, demonstrate capacity, and secure funding with integrity.
Attendees will receive a Certificate of Attendance issued on behalf of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. Space is limited and registration is required once available.