"Workforce planning is the most critical human resource management challenge in the public sector today." (IPMA 2002). This presentation will address this critical challenge through a discussion of the need for workforce planning including a presentation of the basic steps and stages of the planning process.

The presentation will draw on examples of what is occurring in public organizations, specifically an overview of the current state of workforce planning in North Carolina to provide highlights of the variations in practice as well as needed next steps.

Teresa Lockamy, formerly with the City of Greensboro, NC, will explore the evolution of Greensboro's succession planning strategies over several years, highlighting lessons learned, specific tools implemented, and program results. Willow Jacobson, School of Government, will discuss research and promising practices on succession planning in local government.

This program will benefit local governments seeking guidance on how to implement succession planning within their organizations.