1. Accounting and Auditing Reform: International Standards of Audit, GAAP, International Accounting Standards, joint ventures, etc.); planning process prior to an on-site audit; issues uncovered during an audit (discrepancy between inventory and profit); sound corporate governance practices to ensure confidence in the company and its financial statements; record keeping and record keeping practices to ensure a true audit; Code of Professional Conduct, including the concept of independence and due care;  “professional skepticism,” (i.e., using an investigative and questioning approach); professional licensing; ethics; continuing professional education programs; and professionally appropriate advertising and publicity for the accounting firm; reporting of related parties transactions; responsibility of the auditor and interaction between management of the firm and shareholders, including responsibility to Board of Directors and Audit Committee, lenders, SEC, etc.; role of the independent auditor with regard to offering documents and other reports, including management discussion and analysis of financial information, financial press releases, etc.; strategies used to address fraud and the role it plays in the auditing process; standard-setting process as it relates to the corporate, public accounting firm, and state society of accountants.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Vlad Shekoyan, Steven Leeds

2. Agribusiness  & Agricultural Economics: Management, Operations, and Financial Management of dairy farming; beekeeping; livestock and poultry farming; hay and grain; fruit orchards; corn, potatoes; tobacco; truck (vegetable) farming; marketing assistance.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Agriculture: Sandra Bennett

3. Arts and Culture: art and art exhibits; fine arts programs at public and private schools and higher education institutions; fine arts (theater, music performances, traveling exhibits, dinner theater), artisans and crafts (various mediums), museums and museum management, culturefests

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Lori McKinney

4. Budget Formulation: Federal, state, local governments; revenue generation strategies: property, income, sales and other taxes; budget allocations/entitlements/earmarks; institutional, policy, and technical capacity for budget formulation and management; develop and institutionalize the budget system in order to improve timeliness and accuracy; and increase transparency of the budgetary decision-making process; Budget Formulation and Program Formulation and Inter-Governmental Analysis: Key Budget Concepts and Terms; Elementary Units of Budgeting; Budget Coverage and Classifications; The Fiscal Year Cycle; The Budget Baseline; Executive Budgeting; Formulation and Content of the President's Budget; Executive Interaction With Congress; Congressional Budgeting; Formulation and Content of the Budget Resolution; Budget Resolution Enforcement; Budget Enforcement Act Procedures; Establishment of the Sequestration Process; Changes Made by the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990; The Timing of Sequestration Actions Spending Legislation; The Annual Appropriations Process; Revenue and Debt-Limit Legislation; Revenue Legislation; Debt-Limit Legislation; Reconciliation Legislation; Reconciliation Directives; Development and Consideration of Reconciliation Measures; Impoundment and Line-Item Veto; Impoundment; Line-Item Veto

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Vlad Shekoyan, Barbara Wimer

5. Business Development:  Mining, Ferro alloys, rubber fabricators, plastics, chemicals, fertilizers; role of economic development authorities, regional offices for planning and development, chambers of commerce, Tax incentives for new and existing businesses. Business loans and development grants. The role of banks and insurance (home, business, and industrial); Small Business Development Centers, lending institutions, and entrepreneurial development through the creation of industrial parks and business incubators.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Ken Kormendy, Jim Boyd, Gino Russo, Skip Bowman

6. Corporate Governance: laws protecting interests of the shareholders and investors, transparent systems and regulations for privatizing and conducting business, competitiveness, developing capital markets, risk management, pensions and socially responsible investing, auditing (internal and external), compliance with SEC

CIU Trainer(s): Vlad Shekoyan

7. Democratic Institution Building:  Roles of party executive committees at the county level; role of the secretary of state’s office; municipal, county, state, and national elections; the media’s role (newspapers, radio, television); the state ethics commission; municipal, county, state, and federal court (judicial) systems at the district level; civic advocacy and coalitions of NGOs; Local Governance, Auditing, Accounting Reform; FOIA; citizen participation

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Pat Cadle, Cliff Pannell

8. Democratic Policing: institution capacity building (modern leadership, supervisory and management skills within law enforcement institutions); institutional/sector strategic planning (developing strategic planning, policy formulation and fiscal management capacities); change management; community-police relationships; links among police and the rule of law (strengthening police-prosecutor relationships regarding investigations, developing holistic approaches, and integrating systems); institutional performance oversight ( developing and integrating oversight capacity—internal affairs offices, disciplinary units, inspectors general, auditors, legislative committees, police and/or human rights commissions, ombudsmen, etc.); civil society/civilian oversight (strengthening civil society capacity to engage in police issues, monitor activities, and demand accountability); technical assistance to improve human rights performance; decentralization of the police; legislative reform on police issues; border management; anti-corruption activities.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Charles Blizzard, Roger D. Forman, Jason E. Huber, Mike Poe

9. Economic Development/Restructuring:  From natural resources-based economy to a value-added and diversified economy, including high tech (from mining to also processing coal to reduce pollution; from logging to processing wood for furniture/pre-fabricated housing manufacturing); rural area venturing into the global marketplace (corporate governance, from manufacturing to service to manufacturing.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Cliff Pannell (rural), Vladimir Shekoyan, John M. Simmons, Wallace Kaufman

10. Educational Reform: curriculum development in public education; educational administration in public and private schools and higher education institutions; gifted programs in public school systems; teacher education programs at colleges; professional development for teachers/professors and public school administrators; liberal arts, professional, and pre-medical and pre-law degree programs; private and state colleges; distance learning and computer aided instruction; library and information management; education databases (enrollment, grading, facilities, personnel records, etc.)

CIU Lead trainer(s): Richard Ferrin, Rosanna Reasor, Jay Cole, Steve Rowe

11. Elections/Voter Awareness: Media's role in the electoral process and efforts to get out the vote; election laws and their implementation, and examine campaign finance practices. In addition, CC participants will be exposed to the U.S. electoral process. Other relevant activities will include observing campaign work and exploring the vital role of the press as a political watchdog.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Wallace Kaufman, Pat Cadle

12. Energy, Energy Efficiency and Mining:  Coal and Coal economics, hydropower, renewable energy technologies; natural gas and oil; energy production, transmission, distribution (e.g., American Electric Power plants), methane to market (for electricity generation).

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Charles Simmons (electricity), Ken Kormendy (oil, coal, gas), Scott McDonald (hydropower)

13. Environmental Preservation Issues:  Land reclamation (mining, logging), solid and toxic waste management, waste and water recycling, environmental friendly mining and logging and waste disposal techniques.  Environmental concerns of new business development; brown fields; reducing air pollution by processing coal to become more clean burning.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Wallace Kaufman, Jerry Haynes

14. Forestry and Forestry-Related Industries:  (primarily hardwood) Lumber/sawmills, wood preserving, log homes, wood veneer, furniture, housing; preservation of national forests; recreational activities related to forests.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Wallace Kaufman

15. Historic and Cultural Preservation: community outreach campaigns (voluntary and paid)  for conservation or endangered sites or structures; public awareness campaigns for places of historical and cultural significance; development of interpretive exhibits on local areas or monuments; community-based initiatives to harmonize economic development with the historic character or cultural significance of local districts or sites.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Sandra Bennett

16. Housing (Public and Private):  Federally subsidized and privately developed; financing housing developments; mortgage lending and real estate brokerages; deeds, attorneys, and county courts; construction practices and regulations.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): John M. Simmons

17. Infrastructure Development and Maintenance: highways, railroad, and air transportation; solid waste; utilities: water, sewage, heating gas; tax base; land management; public-private partnerships; industrial parks.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Jim Boyd, Cliff Pannell

18. Library and Information Management: the role of libraries as democracy building institutions (information management); funding of libraries, access to information, FOIA, etc., literacy development (the  foundation of a strong economy), community development services.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Carolyn Schade, Steve Rowe

19. Local and Regional Accountable Governance, including Federalism  City/Municipal, county, and state governments; financial administration at these levels; relationships between city/municipal, county, state, and national governments; public-private partnerships; federalism; business incentives and initiatives; issuance of bonds for development projects; statistical data and services; investment strategies for economic development and pension funds.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): John M. Simmons, Cliff Pannell, J. C. Higginbottom

20. Media Viability: FOIA; TV and radio Station Management; programming; marketing and advertising; print media: production, news reporting, editing, marketing and advertising; web-based news reporting, editing, marketing and advertising.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Charles Webb; Wallace Kaufman; Robert Orttung, Corley Dennison

21. NGO Strengthening and Management: Social services delivery; poverty alleviation; healthcare and empowerment services; non profit management and governance, the role of boards of directors; budgeting; fundraising; advocacy and community mobilization

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Wallace Kaufman, Roxana Girip, John Chapman,  Renate Pore

22. Print, Broadcast, and Electronic Media:  Print, TV, web-based, and radio journalism and entertainment in rural America; advertising and marketing, the role of the media in promoting the various economic, social, educational, civic responsibility/sensibility, political events, community development.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Corley Dennison, Wallace Kaufman, Charles Webb

23. Private Voluntary Organization Development:  The role of charitable, civic, philanthropic organizations to augment public funded social services and alleviate poverty; professional and business associations that promote a business-friendly climate; community action groups (grassroots advocacy and activism to enact sensible and humane legislation).

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Wallace Kaufman, Roxana Girip, Connie Saunders

24. Public Administration (Local Government): See Local and Regional Accountable Governance above.

CIU Leader(s): John M. Simmons,  Cliff Pannell, J. C. Higginbottom

25. Rural/Public Health:  Municipal and state funded hospitals versus for-profit hospitals, rural health clinics, primary care physicians and specialists; (registered nurse degree program) private home nursing; continuous care nursing homes; HMOs; malpractice issues; hospital reform

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Janet Lucas, Sallie Hunt

26. Rule of Law: approaches to court proceedings, the jury-trial process, the adversarial system, plea bargaining, alternate dispute resolution, and law enforcement and corrections practices.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Administration of Justice/Rule of Law: Judge John Frazier, Sallie H Hunt

27. Social and Economic Development: anticorruption issues and the development of small-scale entrepreneurship; issues surrounding elderly care, disability, special education, and child welfare; philanthropy, volunteerism and fundraising.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Wallace Kaufman, Chea Russo, Sandra Bennett, Lori Copenhaver, Connie Saunders, John Chapman

28. Telecommunications:  Accessing the information highway from rural America (LANs, Internet, America Online, etc); teleconferencing; telecommunications in business and industry, health, education, government, etc.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Bobby Gentry

29. Tourism and Hospitality Development, including ecological tourism and agri-tourism:  public-private strategies to develop and promote tourism; development of natural settings into state parks; preservation of historical sites for tourism and integration into urban planning; the creation of destination/event/heritage tourism; ecological tourism: agri-tourism; hospitality management, marketing, and promotion.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Wallace Kaufman, Sandra Bennett

30. Women as Leaders: The important role of women in building a civil society— women political leaders, women in business and finance, human-trafficking and domestic violence prevention, women in government, and NGO development and management; approaches to organizational and business management, administrative capacity building, leadership development, and grassroots organizing and fundraising.

CIU Lead Trainers: Lori Copenhaver, Connie Saunders, Sandra Bennett

31. Youth Issues/Leadership Development/Advocacy: School-to-career educational opportunities and programs; U.S. federal, state, community, and private youth programs, especially those that promote educational and career development, leadership skills, volunteerism, and healthy lifestyles; after-school programs, continuing education, substance abuse prevention, mentoring, and information access.

CIU Lead Trainer(s): Roxana Girip, John Chapman

Additional Sectors/Topics of Training: Advertising; Advocacy; Anti-Corruption and Transparency; Architecture; Banking (Rural Banking Management); Child Abuse Prevention/Child Welfare Reform; Citizen Participation; City Services; Civic Education/Civil Society; Community Association Building; Community Development; Community Service and Volunteerism; Conflict/Dispute Resolution; Construction; Court Administration; Disability Issues; Disaster Preparedness; Domestic Violence Prevention; Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Rehabilitation; Education Administrations; Emergency and Disaster Management;  Engineering; Farmer Associations; Finance; Fire Fighters; Food Processing; Fruit and Vegetable Production; Food Science and Safety; Gaming; Gender and Women’s Issues; Grassroots Democracy; Handicraft Production; HIV/AIDS/STD prevention and treatment; IT/Computers; Health System Delivery/Reform; Health Education; Health Financing; Historic Preservation; Homeland Security and Public Safety; Hotel and Restaurant Management; Hotel and B&B Customer Service; Human Rights; Infrastructure Development; Judicial Reform; K-12 Education; Labor; Legislative Reform; Management; Marketing (and Advertising); Manufacturing;  Maternal Child Health; Meat and Dairy; Media and Communication; Minority Issues; Museum Management; national Park Preservation; Natural Resources Management; NGO Management; Pension Reform; Political Party Development; Public Private Partnerships; Public Sector Governance, Accountability, and Transparency; Public Utility Regulation; Real Estate; Retail and Wholesale; Secondary Education; Small Enterprise management; Social Sector Reform; Special Education; Teacher Training; Trade; Transparency in Government; Utility Regulation; Waste Management; Water Management; Winemaking; Women in Development; Wood and Furniture Production/Industry; Workforce Development/Vocation Training/Adult Education