What is SCEMA?
The Strategic Code Enforcement Management Academy (SCEMA) is an educational enterprise that organizes lecture series and a summer academy to help build the capacity of leaders engaged in the creation, administration, and enforcement of municipal and state codes.
What is The Academy?
SCEMA is the premiere code enforcement conference in the country. The two-day academy is filled with collaborative workshops and networking opportunities with professionals from across the country. The academy helps cities to implement strategic code enforcement solutions that involve multiple branches of local government.
Our next academy takes place June 22-23, 2023 in Memphis, TN.
Who can attend?
The academy is a team-based structure. We encourage you to form a diverse team. In the past, cities have brought members of their code enforcement department, attorneys, municipal court judges, fire marshals, community police officers, CDC directors, data experts, etc.
Is there a virtual option?
Yes, the summer academy is offered in a hybrid format.
What is the cost to attend SCEMA?
Historically, the base registration has been $250 per person.
Large Team Discount: $50 per person discount after 6 team members.
Are there scholarships available?
There are a limited number of scholarships available. Scholarships are available for groups with at least 4 members with a cap of 2 scholarships per team. Scholars are selected based on need.
How do I apply?
Applications open in March. Please sign-up for our email list to be the first to know when admissions open. When applying, you will be required to assign a team lead, including the contact information for each team member, an interest statement, and a summary of why you are interested in attending and what you would like to achieve from coming to SCEMA. Feel free to include attachments of recent news or reports about code enforcement issues in your community.
Who should be the team leader/what are their responsibilities?
The team leader does not necessarily have to be the most senior person on the team. The team leader should be the person who is willing to work to coordinate the attendance of team members at SCEMA, on prep calls, and on follow-up calls with SCEMA faculty. The team leader is responsible for responding promptly to Academy correspondence, sharing contact information for their team, submitting the application, and distributing academy materials to their team members.
How many team members can I bring?
Over the years, we have had teams as small as 2 members and as big as 12. Ideally, no more than 2-3 persons should come from the same department or agency, but we are flexible. The ideal team size has 3-7 people.
Does this count as CLE/other credits?
In the past, SCEMA has qualified for CLE credits with the New York and Tennessee Bar Associations. We will announce if this will be offered at the next academy once applications open in the spring. If you are from another state or need professional learning credit for another organization, please contact Jasmine at [email protected].
Can I attend only part of SCEMA?
Unfortunately, this is not possible. SCEMA is an intensive learning experience and only experiencing part of the academy lessens its impact.
Who are the faculty?
SCEMA faculty are composed of a group of lawyers, community organizers, data experts, experts and researchers. A full list of SCEMA faculty and guest lecturers can be found on our Who We Are page.