Maryland becomes first state to formally co-endorse ACCO’s professional credential recognizing climate change competencies. OMG congratulates its own Wendy Howard, Executive Director in obtaining her certification as a Certified Climate Change Professionals®.
ANNAPOLIS, MD – January 29, 2020 – Maryland Governor Larry Hogan today recognized 40 professionals as Maryland’s first Certified Climate Change Professionals®, an international credential administered by the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO), during the meeting of the Board of Public Works.
The 40 professionals recognized today, mostly consisting of state agency and local government personnel, earned their certifications by participating in 6 days of training provided through the Maryland Climate Leadership Academy and satisfying the credentialing requirements, which included passing 4 exams and satisfying 14 hours of elective requirements. “We are really proud of the Climate Leadership Academy,” said Governor Hogan. “It’s the nation’s first state-sponsored training institute.”
The graduates were presented State of Maryland & ACCO co-endorsed certificates and honored by Gov. Hogan, Comptroller Peter Franchot, Treasurer Nancy Kopp and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Riccio.
“Our goal is to equip leaders and Maryland’s workforce with the skills and knowledge needed to meet the challenges of climate change, flooding and severe weather,” Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Riccio said. “Thank you Governor, Madam Treasurer and Mr. Comptroller for recognizing the commitment and leadership of Maryland’s first Class of Climate Change Professionals.”
“One of the major reasons that [Charles County was recently] given a triple A bond rating by Standard & Poor’s was citing of their work in preparation for resilience, most particularly their strong participation in the Academy,” said Maryland State Treasurer Nancy Kopp.
In recognizing these professionals and future Maryland Climate Leadership Academy participants, the State of Maryland became the first American state to formally recognize the ACCO credential. “It is crucially important that policymakers invest in training their workforce to drive climate change initiatives in critical infrastructure, public services and agency operations,” said Daniel Kreeger, ACCO’s executive director. “Maryland is leading this charge and is also recognizing the professionals who are role models for these competencies. We hope that other US states will quickly follow Maryland’s lead in building a competent workforce equipped to reduce our emissions while ensuring our security, public health and economic vitality through a dynamically changing climate.”
The Maryland Climate Leadership Academy was established in 2018 to specifically offer training and continuing education for state and local government officials and infrastructure professionals on the matter of climate change.
The state developed the Academy in partnership with the Association of Climate Change Officers (read more about the Academy at www.MDClimateAcademy.org); the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is the designated state agency lead for the academy on behalf of the state.
To date, the Academy has trained more than 450 professionals through six cohorts conducted at community college and community centers across the State of Maryland. Additional training programs will be conducted in 2020 beginning in February in Annapolis.
About the Certified Climate Change Professional® (CC-P®)
The Certified Climate Change Professional® (CC-P®) is the credential administered by ACCO for practitioners reflecting their dedication to competency in the fundamentals of climate change preparedness and strategic planning. A combination of related work experience, passing 4 CC-P® exams and 14 hours of elective requirements are required for this designation. For more information about the CC-P®, please visit www.climateofficers.org/credentials.
About the Association of Climate Change Officers
The Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization for executives and officials worldwide in industry, government, academia and the non-profit community. ACCO’s mission is to define, develop and support the functions, resources and communities necessary for effective organizational leadership in addressing climate-related risks and opportunities. For more information about ACCO, please visit
www.ClimateOfficers.org.