Step by Step: a Phased Approach to Succession Planning in Public Health (Virtual TTA Series)

This online training and technical assistance (TTA) series is designed to provide local governmental public health practitioners with knowledge and tools to develop robust succession plans and demystify the succession planning process overall. 

The training comprises 15 contact hours, including: 

• Viewing 3 hours of pre-recorded trainings 
• Participating in 3 one-hour technical assistance (TA) sessions held live via Zoom in January, April, and June 
• Completing 9 hours of asynchronous pre/post work across the series 

Participants interested in getting started with succession planning at their agency, and committing to progressing through the guided program are encouraged to register. During the course, participants will, at minimum, develop a plan in a phased approach for future succession planning, specifically for a small team or unit. If a succession planning team has already been established or interested staff are ready to dive in, they are encouraged to complete all phases by June. If not, completing what you can is completely acceptable; all participants will work through their own timelines. Upon completion of the course, we hope participants will have the knowledge, skills, and resources to move succession planning forward in a broader way, across their entire organization.

Participants are expected to attend all 3 live virtual TA sessions, which will occur on:

• January 26, 2026 from 12-1 PM ET
• April 20, 2026 from 12-1 PM ET
• June 29, 2026 from 12-1 PM ET

Estimated time to complete course: 15 contact hours

The detailed overview of the program is below:

• Part 1: November to January (5.25 contact hours)
  • Watch recording #1 (1 hour)
  • Complete pre-work for TA #1 (3 hours, 10 min)
  • Attend TA #1, Jan. 26 (1 hour)
  • Complete post-eval (5 min)
• Part 2: late January to April (5.25 contact hours)
  • Watch recording #2 (1 hour)
  • Complete pre-work for TA #2 (3 hours, 10 min)
  • Attend TA #2, Apr. 20 (1 hour)
  • Complete post-eval (5 min)
• Part 3: late April to late June (4.5 contact hours)
  • Watch recording #3 (1 hour)
  • Complete pre-work for TA #3 (2 hours, 20 min)
  • Attend TA #3, Jun. 29 (1 hour)
  • Complete post-eval (10 min)

Note on Accessibility: This live session will have auto-transcription in Zoom. Slides will be provided prior to the session. To request ASL interpretation and/or CART captioning, please email us within 2 weeks of the live training at rvphtc@umich.edu.

Audience

Individuals working in governmental public health, including those involved in workforce development, accreditation activities, and/or those familiar with the role descriptions and competencies of those roles. We recommend pairs from the same agency to attend the same TA session together (e.g., one person in a workforce development or HR role, and one person in a health administrator role). If only one individual from your agency is able to participate, we recommend someone in a workforce development or HR role enroll. Participation is prioritized for PHIG recipients in Region V states (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI).

Learning Objectives

• Distinguish succession planning from other types of planning
• Explain the value of succession planning in public health agencies
• Identify key roles and stages in the succession planning process
• Describe how to align the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals to job descriptions and performance reviews

Instructors

• Tiffany Day, MPH, GRMS, Public Health Specialist, Henry County Health Department (OH)
• Amanda Mehl, RN, MPH, Public Health Administrator, Boone County Health Department (IL)

Continuing Education Credit

• 15.0 contact hours MCHES Category I CECH (Areas of Responsibility: 8.2.1, 8.2.3, 8.2.7, 8.4.1)*
• Up to 15.0 CPH Recertification Credits may be earned at this event.
• Certificate of Completion

*We report credits to NCHEC on a quarterly basis: January, April, July, and October.

The Region V Public Health Training Center is a designated provider (ID# 99038) of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

In order to earn CE credits and a Certificate of Completion for this TTA series, participants must complete the following:

• Complete the pre-work for each of the 3 TA sessions
• Complete the post-work for each of the 3 TA sessions
• Attend all 3 TA sessions (sign-in no later than 10 minutes after the start)
• Pay $75 for the 15 contact hours*
  • *Note: If you attended the live spring 2025 succession planning series or you have enrolled in the on-demand version, please email rvphtc@umich.edu before enrolling in this course so you may obtain a discount code for this course for a reduced CE fee of $60.

NOTE: Course content is available for free and continuing education credits are offered for a $75 fee if requirements are met. If desired, you will be asked to pay the fee upon completion of the course material.

Sponsors

This work is supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, through OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

The Region V Public Health Training Center is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31684 Public Health Training Centers ($940,000). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by Region V PHTC, HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

Technical Information

If you are experiencing any technical difficulties, please try a different browser (i.e., Chrome, Firefox, Safari). Internet Explorer and Edge will not work with our learning management system.

This webinar will use Zoom. For support information, visit https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/201137166 REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR USING THE EMAIL YOU WILL USE TO JOIN THE LIVE ZOOM.

Contact us at rvphtc@umich.edu with questions.