Organization

Established in 1987, the mission of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Center for Management Development (CMD) supports the Agency's continuing efforts to ensure a safer, more efficiently managed National Airspace system. Toward this end, CMD creates a quality learning environment that provides supervisors, managers, and other designated employees with an understanding of their leadership and management responsibilities and skills that enable them to: manage the Agency's human resources effectively, accomplish program goals that enhance organizational performance, implement the Model Work Environment, promote open and honest communication, and encourage teamwork and employee involvement in decision-making and change management.Although CMD courses are attended primarily by FAA employees, they are open to other government workers who wish to update and improve their management skill. CMD attendees come from headquarters, regional, and field locations throughout the United States and overseas.In addition to basic and advanced general supervision and management courses, offerings include facilitator training, leadership development, labor-management relations, change management, and team effectiveness. A highly skilled staff consisting of 25 full-time faculty, all of whom hold masters or doctoral degrees, delivers the CMD courses.CMD residence courses are delivered at the FAA facility in Palm Coast, Florida. The facility has living accommodations for up to 200 people and provides a professional retreat environment for continued learning and improvement. It also includes a world-class outdoor activity based challenge course that is designed to foster team building and personal growth.Many of the courses that are offered at CMD are also delivered at regional training sites. CMD also makes use of distance learning methods that include correspondence study, computer-based instruction, interactive video teletraining, and personal audio tapes.