ICMA's Local Government Management Fellowship (LGMF) is a career development opportunity for graduates in full-time, one- to two-year management-track local government positions. In addition to learning in their role from CAOs and others in their assigned organization, ICMA recently began a mentor-mentee matching program between alumni of the program and current or recent fellows for ongoing career development.

Mentor Dr. Kevin Catlin, county administrator and controller of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and LGMF alum is matched with Fredi Hayes, town administrator of Highgate, Vermont. Catlin shared their mentor-mentee experience:

1. What is the mentor-mentee matching program and how did it start?

The ICMA Local Government Management Fellowship mentorship matching program was established to provide intentional professional support to active fellows as they navigate the early stages of their local government careers. The program is grounded in the understanding that leadership development in this profession is deeply relational and that exposure to experienced practitioners accelerates growth, confidence, and decision-making capacity.

Fredi Hayes and I were matched through this program by ICMA staff. The pairing was thoughtful and aligned a fellow working in a small local government environment with a mentor who could provide both strategic perspective and practical guidance informed by experience across multiple levels of government. From the outset, our relationship was framed as a professional partnership centered on trust, curiosity, and open dialogue.

2. Who is eligible to participate?

The mentorship program is open to current Local Government Management Fellows as well as alumni of the fellowship who are interested in supporting the next generation of professional managers. Fellows gain access to real-world insight and professional counsel, while alumni have an opportunity to give back to the program that helped shape their own careers.

A key strength of the program is its applicability across jurisdictions of varying size and capacity. Fredi’s work in Shelburne, Vermont, and now Highgate, Vermont, illustrates this well. In a small organization where resources are limited, she was required to be highly adaptable and assume responsibilities across multiple functional areas. The mentorship program recognizes that while organizational contexts differ, the foundational principles of leadership, professionalism, and public service remain consistent.

3. What have you gained from the experience?

Mentoring Fredi has been both professionally meaningful and personally rewarding. Over the past year, I have supported her as she navigated a role requiring exceptional flexibility and resilience. In Shelburne, she frequently stepped into responsibilities typically handled by full-time staff, including human resources management, management analysis, special projects coordination, and constituent services.

Our conversations focused on developing professional temperament, sustaining ambition, cultivating a strong work ethic, and exercising leadership even when working on projects outside one’s preferred skill set or interest areas. We also spent considerable time discussing collaboration, learning directly from constituents, active listening, and conflict resolution.

Fredi has demonstrated a clear commitment to continuous learning by attending ICMA conferences and other professional development opportunities at the state level. From my perspective, this mentorship has reinforced the value of investing time in emerging professionals and has served as a reminder that mentorship is a reciprocal exchange that benefits both participants. 

4. How do you set and manage expectations for a mutually beneficial and sustainable relationship? 

At the outset, we were intentional about establishing expectations that promoted openness and sustainability. I emphasized that the mentorship relationship should function as a safe and supportive space for asking questions, testing ideas, and discussing challenges candidly. The goal was not to provide prescriptive answers, but to help develop critical thinking, professional judgment, and confidence.

We also discussed communication norms early on to ensure the relationship remained respectful of time and responsibilities. Fredi has consistently used me as a sounding board for ideas and workplace situations, and I have made responsiveness and availability a priority.

Throughout our mentorship, we have emphasized that local government is fundamentally a people-centered profession. Relationships are essential; professional managers rely on collaboration and public trust, as the work cannot be done in isolation. 

5. Who is your favorite fictional mentor-mentee pair and what have you learned from them? 

One of my favorite fictional mentor-mentee relationships is Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson from the television series Parks and Recreation. Their dynamic highlights an important lesson for public administrators: effective mentorship does not require agreement on ideology or approach; it requires mutual respect, authenticity, and a shared commitment to public service.

Ron mentors Leslie through consistency, integrity, and principled leadership, even when their perspectives differ. Leslie, in turn, challenges Ron to remain connected to purpose and community impact. Their relationship underscores that mentorship is most effective when it allows for differing viewpoints while reinforcing shared values, a lesson that translates directly to leadership in local government.

Invest in tomorrow's local government leaders by hosting an LGMF fellow in your local government. Applications and inquiries are open year-round. 

The application window for the 2027-2028 fellowship cohort will open in September 2026 and close in December 2026.