For Tom Joyce, leadership has always been about service. A retired U.S. Air Force colonel, Joyce spent much of his career in military leadership before transitioning to senior federal civilian service and, eventually, local government. Today, he serves as city manager of Minot, North Dakota, a community of nearly 50,000.

Although Joyce’s path to local government was not traditional, he found that much of his previous experience translated naturally to local government leadership. “I had been interested in serving in a local government capacity for quite some time,” Joyce shared.

As he prepared to retire from the Air Force, he began exploring opportunities in local government. While the timing wasn’t right then, his subsequent role as a civilian deputy garrison commander on an Army installation gave him experience remarkably similar to municipal management, overseeing functions including police and fire, an airport, public works, engineering, planning, finance, human resources, legal services, and public information.

When the opportunity arose to join Minot’s leadership team, Joyce saw a natural fit. “The role of the new assistant city manager in a great military community such as Minot seemed like a good fit, and indeed, it has been.”

Adapting Leadership to a New Environment

While Joyce found that many of his leadership skills transferred directly to local government, the transition also challenged him to approach leadership in new ways. His ability to build teams across diverse functional areas, focus on continuous process improvement, and pursue operational results translated seamlessly. But working within a council-manager form of government introduced a different dynamic.

Coming from previous roles where he had one supervisor at a time, Joyce now works with seven elected councilmembers serving four-year terms. Balancing individual perspectives with the broader needs of the organization and community has become an important part of his role. “Council-manager relations is probably my biggest challenge and it’s certainly a work in progress,” Joyce reflected. “Ultimately, I move at the speed and direction of the majority, and that’s not easy to come by at times. I’m learning every day.”

Building Teams for the Long Run

Now in the role of city manager, Joyce has greater influence over the organization, and he is intentional about how he uses it. His focus is on building a strong team at every level, regardless of title. “My goal is to build a team for the long run,” he emphasized. That means developing others, strengthening succession management, and encouraging departments to work collaboratively toward citywide priorities. For Joyce, that requires looking beyond individual departments and creating a more collaborative organization positioned to succeed well beyond his own tenure.

Learning From the People Around You

As someone who entered local government from outside the traditional career pathway, Joyce has found professional connections particularly valuable. “ICMA has been very supportive.” He has attended the past two ICMA Annual Conferences as well as meetings of the Great Open Spaces City Managers Association. He credits those experiences with helping him learn from his peers and build “a whole new group of peer mentors to lean on.”

One of his most memorable conference takeaways, however, didn’t come from a formal session. While waiting in line for a professional headshot, Joyce struck up a conversation with a longtime city manager who recommended establishing a weekly public safety huddle with his police and fire chiefs. “Now, every Monday morning we review the past weekend’s activities and the week ahead. It’s been very beneficial.” This experience illustrates one of the unique benefits of professional conferences: sometimes the most useful ideas come from unexpected conversations.

Bringing Veterans’ Experience to Local Government

His dynamic perspective is also what makes Joyce’s upcoming session at the 2026 ICMA Annual Conference especially personal. He is a panelist in the session, “Mission-Driven Leadership: Veterans Building Trust and Integrity in Local Government,” focused on how veterans can bring their leadership experience, values, and skills into local government.

For Joyce, the session is another opportunity to “pay it forward” and help local government leaders recognize the value veterans can bring to their organizations. “Military veterans offer some common traits and values—such as selfless service, duty, responsibility and trust—but also functional skills that can transition well into local government operations.”

Giving Veterans a Fair Chance

Through his conference session and his Member Spotlight interview, Joyce hopes to challenge assumptions about what veterans bring to the workplace. “One common misconception is that everyone is a ‘General Patton,’ so don’t let that scare you away. In fact, there’s only been one General Patton, and I’m confident his leadership style and tenacity was exactly what was needed at the time.” Veterans bring different experiences depending on their roles, responsibilities, and length of service.

For veterans considering a transition into public service, Joyce offers advice informed by his own experience: “Make sure you are going to be happy in the role.” That starts with self-awareness and understanding what type of work will allow an individual to make the greatest contribution—a lesson Joyce learned himself after taking his first post-military position. Although he joined a great company with a strong culture, he realized the position did not allow him to fully utilize his skills. He urges veterans to ask questions and seek out people who can provide firsthand insight. “Ask for informational interviews with those currently in local government roles,” he encouraged. “I’m always willing to answer questions and give my two cents.”

Continuing the Journey at the Annual Conference

After experiencing the learning and professional connections that ICMA Annual Conferences have brought to his own career, Joyce encourages first-time attendees to approach the conference with intention. “Plan ahead,” he recommends. Review sessions in advance but leave room for networking and unexpected opportunities. Introduce yourself to others, attend the icebreaker, explore the exhibit floor, and have backup options in case popular sessions fill up. Most importantly, Joyce recommends leaving the conference with at least three new professional contacts.

At the 2026 ICMA Annual Conference in Long Beach, Joyce will bring that perspective to his session on mission-driven leadership and veterans in local government. For attendees, it will be an opportunity to consider what veterans can bring to the profession and how local governments can create meaningful pathways for people who want to continue a lifetime of service. And, as Joyce’s own experience demonstrates, sometimes the next step in that journey begins with simply being willing to learn from someone else.

JESSI FINLEY is a marketing manager at ICMA.

Want to See More?

Watch the full Member Spotlight interview with Tom Joyce here.