Leadership Development for Professionals
Most people become managers because they were great at their jobs and then discover that leading people is a different job entirely. SCIM, a partnership of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and Empire State University, gives your managers and supervisors the skills, the network, and the confidence to lead well.
The program:
● Develops the full manager skillset in ten weeks of accelerated, hands-on sessions.
● Addresses real workplace challenges, not just case studies. Every participant completes an improvement project.
● Improves retention by developing managers properly instead of promoting them and hoping for the best.
● Builds lasting professional networks with area business leaders and managers from diverse industries.
● Provides expert instruction from regional practitioners, including respected employment attorneys, CPAs, HR leaders, and executives who understand this market.
Leading Employers Invest in Their Teams Through SCIM
Employers across Saratoga County, from Stewart’s Shops to hospitals, manufacturers to nonprofits, send their managers to SCIM. The program was also featured on WNYT’s Upstate of Business.
The Curriculum:
Leading People, Leading the Business
Ten weeks. One program.
SCIM is a single ten-week journey developing critical success skills for new and emerging managers, while connecting with a strong network of fellow professionals. Courses include:
1. The Manager’s Transition: Understanding Yourself and Others
2. Difficult Conversations & Conflict Resolution
3. Coaching & Developing People
4. The Talent Cycle: Recruitment, Retention, and Performance
5. Communications & Stakeholder Relationships
6. The Supervisor’s Legal & Ethical Toolkit
7. Strategy & Leading Change
8. The AI-Era Manager
9. Finance, Budgeting & Data for Managers
10. Capstone Management Lab & Graduation
Dates and Location:
Tuesdays, 8:30 a.m.–noon, at Empire State University, 2 Union Avenue, Saratoga Springs.
Spring 2027 cohort: March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; April 6, 13, 20, 27; May 4
Fall 2027 cohort: TBA - Join the waitlist for fall by emailing gdixon@saratoga.org.
Faculty:
SCIM is taught by the people who do this work in our region, and beyond, every day, including employment attorneys, CPAs, HR and talent leaders, and executives from the region. Our 2027 faculty, and panelists, include:
Mike Billok
Bond, Schoeneck,
and King PLLC
Dr. Chris Thomas
Elite 9 Talent Solutions
Randy Rose
Center for Internet Security
Jacklyn Hakes, AICP
MJ Engineering, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Land Surveying, P.C.
Kathleen Fyfe
Fyfe Consulting
Todd Shimkus
Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
Theresa Agresta
CultureTalk
Richard Sellers
SCORE Mentor and Retired Executive
Costs and Registration:
For the complete 10-week program:
$1,295 for members of The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
$1,495 for not-yet members of The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
Scholarship support is available for impact-sector organizations and small businesses. Please contact Greg Dixon at gdixon@saratoga.org for details.
What Employers and Graduates Say:
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Who should attend? New and rising managers, frontline supervisors, and high-potential employees, from any industry: manufacturing, retail, healthcare, hospitality, professional services, nonprofits, government. and more. The program is also valuable for managers seeking to hone their skillset and improve their leadership capabilities.
- What is new this year? Based on feedback from our prior cohorts, SCIM is now one ten-week program with a single registration. Every participant completes the full program and the capstone management lab.
- How much time does it take? Ten Tuesday mornings, 8:30 a.m. to noon, plus a modest amount of preparation for the management lab capstone.
- What if a participant misses a session? Missing a session is acceptable and will not impact completion of the program. Materials from the missed session will be provided for self-study.
- Are sessions offered online? No, as our cohorts have found growth and connection through the in-person nature of this program. One exception is in the case of inclement weather, where we may move a class to a virtual environment for that session only.
- Is financial assistance available? Yes. Scholarship support is available for non-profit organizations and small businesses.
- Are there group rates available? Yes, organizations sending multiple employees qualify for a discount. Contact Greg Dixon at gdixon@saratoga.org for more information.
- Is this an accredited program associated with the SUNY system? No, this is not an accredited program, nor a formal certificate program of Empire State University. The SCIM program is focused solely on workforce professoinal development.
- Do I have to be member of The Saratoga County Chamber to participate? While there is a better rate offered for Chamber members, you are not required to be a member to sign up.
SCIM is a partnership of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and Empire State University. Financial support for the program’s original pilot was provided by the Saratoga County Capital Resources Corporation.