The George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership (CEPL), which is housed in the College of Professional Studies, is launching an innovative new professional certification program in partnership with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. The Youth Development Professional Certification program, with an inaugural cohort of 30 students, offers a unique opportunity for students to learn the field’s best practices and to connect with experts. The program aims to equip them with the skills needed to effectively mentor and support youth across various educational and community settings.
Program participants from a range of professional backgrounds will undergo a nine-month immersive learning experience designed to enable them to make lasting impacts on the youth they serve.
The program had its official launch at a Feb. 10 ceremony attended by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who proclaimed February 2025 Youth Development Professional Month in Washington.
“The job of our government is to make sure that we’re taking all of the resources that the people trust us with, being strategic with them and helping the most people that we can, the fastest way that we can,” Bowser said. “And when we do that, we create opportunities for whole families and next generations.”
The mayor acknowledged that government is a team effort, and praised the thousands of people working to make D.C. government responsive to its citizens.
“We have to recognize that public servants help make that happen every single day, and I am so grateful for the people that come to work for us every single day,” Bowser said, including members of the inaugural program cohort in her acknowledgement. “We hope you stay in D.C. government with your skills and talents, because we have a lot of opportunity. But more than that, we want you to be able to raise your families right here in Washington, D.C.”
From left, Thennie Freeman, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Natalie Houghtby-Haddon, Liesl Riddle, and Ina Gjikondi show off the mayoral proclamation of Youth Development Professional Month. (Lily Speredelozzi/GW Today)
Ina Gjikondi, director of executive education and coaching in CEPL, will serve as the new program’s faculty director. She emceed the launch ceremony.
Natalie K. Houghtby-Haddon, executive director of CEPL, welcomed participants and said the new partnership with D.C.’s Department of Parks and Recreation was in line with CEPL’s mission. Serving District residents, particularly young people, Houghtby-Haddon said, spoke to her experience as a former youth pastor.
“I know how important it is that the youth of our country, and particularly of this city, have compassionate and well-balanced adults who can work with them, not as parents, not just as friends, but really as adults who can see—and help them see—new alternatives, new opportunities for their futures,” she said
The director of the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, Thennie Freeman, is “the visionary” of the new program, Houghtby-Haddon said, inviting Freeman to speak at the podium.
“It is important to invest in young people,” Freeman said. “It is important to create safe spaces and safe opportunities for them to thrive.”
Certification is required in many professions, Freeman said, from IT to nursing, but not for working with youth, “our most valuable resource.” She expressed her confidence that the 30 members of the program’s inaugural cohort will go on to touch many lives.
“I’m not looking at 30 people,” Freeman said. “I’m looking at 30,000, because those are the number of lives that you all will touch.”
The dean of CPS, Liesl Riddle, also made welcoming remarks, saying the new certification program is the first of its kind in the region.
“This initiative represents a groundbreaking step forward in supporting and strengthening those who dedicate their careers to mentoring, guiding and empowering young people,” Riddle said.
The new program was designed with community input, Riddle said, and thus “reflects the voices, the experiences and insights of those working on the front lines of youth development. By engaging in this immersive and collaborative learning experience, you, our inaugural cohort, will not only gain new skills but also contribute to shaping the future of this field for generations of leaders to come.”
A member of the cohort, Jamese Harvey, with 10 years of experience working in the Department of Parks and Recreation, made brief remarks before introducing Mayor Bowser.
“As the first of its kind, this program will serve as a transformative step in our careers,” Harvey said, “by providing leadership, mentorship, collaboration and cutting-edge strategies to better position us to empower, uplift, mentor and inspire our youth.”
A video of the launch ceremony may be viewed at this link.
