Please join ICMA and our partners in congratulating the 2012 Local Government Management Fellows!  Fellows completed a challenging application, a review process where their application is scrutinized and approved by experienced local government managers, academics, and alumni Fellows, and they successfully navigated the host government hiring process-competing with other finalists in the host's applicant pool. All that in a still recovering economy. 

The Fellows began their assignments this past summer and met at the ICMA Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, for leadership training and coaching, and to experience the full conference content.

Since the program begain in 2004, we now have eight Alumni Fellow in the manager's seat, and many more in senior positions. Click on their name for a full Who's Who profile.

Terence Arrington, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Walden University, MPA

Reid Bennion, Tacoma, Washington
University of Washington, MPA

Kyle Carr, Sedgwick County, Kansas
Wichita State University, MPA

Godwin Chen, Evanston, Illinois
CUNY Baruch: School of Public Affairs, MPA

Elizabeth Colombo, Hamilton, Ohio
Ohio State University, MPA

Stephanie Denham, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
University of Wyoming, MPA

Eitan Esan, Wellington, Florida
City University of NY, MPA

Kate Flavin, Sedgwick County, Kansas
Wichita State University, MPA

Katie Johnston, Tacoma, Washington
University of Washington, MPA

Josh Jones, Oak Lawn, Illinois
University of Kansas, MPA

Haley Kadish, Catawba County, North Carolina
Ohio State University, MPA

Ellen Kamei, Fremont, California
University of Pennsylvania, MPA

Emily Leik, City and County of Durham, North Carolina
UNC Chapel Hill, MPA

Jessica Melton, Smyrna, Georgia
Auburn University, MPA

James Munger, Wellington, Florida
University of Alabama, Birmingham, MPA

Mike Pederson, Bayside, Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, MUP

Matthew Randall, Wellington, Florida
University of Kansas, MPA

Greg Reger, Hamilton, Ohio
Syracuse University, MPA

Corey Schmidt, Loveland, Ohio
Indiana University, MPA

Jamie Shockley, Olathe, Kansas
University of Kansas, MPA

Lorien Showalter, Sedgwick County, Kansas
Wichita State University, MPA

Michelle Stevens, Lexington, Massachusetts
University of Kansas, MPA

Teresa Taylor, Decatur, Georgia
Georgia State University, MPA 

Mary Thomas, Hayward, California
Mills College, MPP

Daniel Tienter, Dakota County, Minnesota
University of North Dakota, MPA

Samantha Timko, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Northern Illinois University, MPA

Chad Toussant, Hamilton, Ohio
Miami University of Ohio, MEN

Brent Troxell, Dakota County. Minnesota
UNC Chapel Hill, MPA

What some of the 2012 Fellows had to say about their experience so far:

What I hope to get out of it is continued development and insider knowledge from current city managers. We have gotten to meet managers on a more personal level and really understand what it means to be a city manager. Right now I am helping to put together a citywide vision for 2035. This fellowship solidifies my professional goals of working in local government.

-Samantha Timko

The fellowship has really solidified my desire to work in local government management. During my time in Durham, NC, I have learned so much about so many different issues and opportunities facing Durham. I love that my position allows me to work creatively and collaborate others for the sake of benefiting the lives of our residents. I hope to use the one-year fellowship to find a position in the Manager's office and I think that the diversity of projects I've been involved with will help me to become a well-rounded candidate for these positions.

-Emily Leik

I have so far gained valuable knowledge (from a macro-perspective) about how a large government operates, including how decisions are made, how priorities are established, and how interests are balanced among many stakeholders to ensure that the organization operates in the most efficient, effective way. The value of this experience has been both (1) the opportunity to work on relevant, timely projects (both major and minor) and (2) the opportunity to interact daily in many candid ways with the manager and the county’s leadership team. Most other positions immediate following graduation from a MPA program will not afford the opportunity to do both. The experience has further solidified my interest in eventually serving as a city or county manager. While it has affirmed my interest in gaining additional experience with finance and budgeting, I have also gained an interest in public safety during my time with the county.

- Kyle Carr

My fellowship has been a wonderful experience and I am anxious to continue. We have the opportunity to pursue projects we are interested in, and we are given projects that really have an impact on our city and community. This has given me the chance to work in my ‘dream career’.

- Stephanie Denham

The Local Government Management Fellowship is a highly competitive career-development opportunity designed to generate interest in local government careers among recent master's program graduates. ICMA, with partners the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA), and the International Hispanic Network (IHN), manage a competitive recruitment and evaluation process to find top graduates with a passion for local government.

Finalists compete for full-time management-track fellowships, shaped by direct mentorship under senior government leaders and rotational assignments. ICMA recruits hosts to hire and mentor recent public administration/policy masters graduates in local government management 'apprenticeships' to prepare them to be tomorrow's city, county, and town managers.

For information on hosting a Fellow in your community in 2013, please visit icma.org/lgmfhost.