Other Informational and Professional Development Sessions

In addition to ICMA University workshops and mini-workshops, ICMA also offers other informational or professional development sessions that you can bring to your local government, affiliate association meeting, or other setting:

From the ICMA Ethics Team

For information about local government ethics workshops and technical assistance services, contact the ICMA Ethics Director, Martha Perego, at (202) 962-3668 or mperego@icma.org. Workshops on such topics as "Ethics at Work!" “Promoting an Ethical Culture,” “The Leader's Role in Building an Ethical Culture," and "Elected Officials and the Public Trust" are available for staff, leadership, elected officials, boards, and commissions.

From the ICMA Northeast Regional Director, Tricia Vinchesi

Contact: p vinchesi@icma.org

Human Resource Management for Small Towns

Most small towns lack an HR Department and the administrator or manager is tasked with not only coordinating personnel and hiring but also with the myriad of day-to-day personnel functions including legal compliance, performance management, collective bargaining, and staff productivity. What are the key areas to make a priority and how can a new manager measure how effective current practices are. This session, with ample time for Q&A, will help you start.

Duration: 90 minutes
ICMA Practice Areas: 13) Human Resources Management and Workforce Engagement

Executive Recruitment: What Boards and Councils Need to Know to Make the Best Choice

The appointment of a chief executive/chief administrative officer in any community is arguably the most critical decision a board or council will make. This session will review factors to consider when the top office becomes vacant, how to proceed, and what to expect. Followed by Q and A.

Duration: 45 minutes

From the ICMA Southeast Regional Director, Randall Reid

Contact: rreid@icma.org

Performance Management in the Era of Analytics

Today’s local governments generate huge quantities of data but seldom effectively use this resource wisely to make more informed decisions. Big data, cloud based analytic solutions, and the widespread use of low cost computer technology are altering the ways communities implement performance management systems. This forward-thinking session shows how this evolution in technology is rapidly changing how organizations use performance management, altering our workplace cultures and enhancing our relationships with citizens. Explore the potential to use comparative data, technology, and analytics now available to your organization for enhanced decision-making and transparency.

Duration: 45-90 minutes
ICMA Practice Areas: 4) Staff Effectiveness, 7) Strategic Planning, 8) Policy Facilitation and Implementation, 10) Service Delivery, 11) Technological Literacy

When the Moment Comes: How to Make Ethical Decisions and Develop Ethical Organizations

Most managers will be confronted with ethical issues during their careers and deal with ethical misconduct in their organizations. This session focuses on what ancient wisdom, modern academic research, and over 100 years of ethical leadership has taught us about ethics. Using the ICMA Code of Ethics, past ethics compliance issues, and lessons from firsthand experiences, this session will provide practical advice on how to recognize and avoid the ethical dilemmas around us, make more ethical personal decisions, create more ethical organizations, and deal with the ethical crises in your organization when they do come. When the moment comes for you or your organization, which it will, shouldn’t you be prepared?

Duration: 45-90 minutes
ICMA Practice Areas: 1) Personal and Professional Integrity, 4) Staff Effectiveness, 5) Personal Resiliency and Development, 8) Policy Facilitation and Implementation

Contemporary Issues in Executive Recruitment

Most managers seeking employment today are likely to encounter jurisdictions using executive recruiters to assist them in finding the best candidates. What skills and traits are contemporary councils and commissions looking for in today’s potential managers? In this session, you will hear from seasoned professional managers and recruiters about how executive recruitment works, the critical role and services recruiters provide their clients, and how managers can best use recruiters to navigate the local government job market. Speakers will discuss how trends such as demands for diversity, civic engagement, compensation, and social media are impacting search processes and will offer practical advice on the best practices for assuring successful interviews. See examples of the many ICMA resources available to assist you during the job search and initial months of a successful job transition to being a public-sector executive.

Duration: 45-90 minutes
ICMA Practice Areas: (5) Personal Resiliency and Development, 13) Human Resources Management

Fostering Citizenship, Community, and Democracy in Times of Civic Disruption

Today’s local governments are operating in a world of disruptive technologies, civic mistrust of government institutions, and elected officials promising to be disruptors of the “administrative state”. This environment creates fear and will persuade many cherished civic institutions in your community to reinvent their roles and service delivery. Can the community values and the ”habits of the hearts” of Alex de Tocqueville overcome the Orwellian specter of invasive and authoritarian technology many people fear? Participants at this interactive session will share how residents' engagement and civic education can be empowered and how old and valued ideas about democracy can be enhanced and embraced by adaptive civic programs with digital and analytical technologies that can serve democratic and civic renewal. This session will assist your organization in identifiying challenges, programs, and technologies to build stronger civic health and passion for our democratic institutions.

Duration: 45-90 minutes
ICMA Practice Areas: 1) Personal and Professional Integrity, 2) Community Engagement, 3) Equity and Inclusion, 8) Policy Facilitation and Implementation, 9) Community and Resident Service, 11) Technological Literacy

Smart Communities: Technology Serving Community

The future of our global communities is one where ideally technology will increasingly help governments solve problems, serve the needs of residents, and enhance their connectivity and engagement with their community institutions. Based upon ICMA’s newest eBook, “Smart Solutions: Technology Serving Communities”, this session uses case studies and will focus on the technology that can provide solutions to the problems confronting your community. This session will examine the technologies that are impacting the design, connectivity, and performance of local communities and the practice of local governmental management.

Duration: 45-90 minutes
ICMA Practice Areas: 4) Staff Effectiveness, 7) Strategic Planning, 8) Policy Facilitation and Implementation, 10) Service Delivery, 11) Technological Literacy

From the ICMA West Coast Regional Director, Kevin Duggan

Contact: kduggan@icma.org

Effectively Navigating Transitions

A discussion of the key personal, professional, and organizational transitions that we face and strategies on how to most successfully navigate these transitions.

Duration: 60-75 minutes
ICMA Practice Area: 5) Personal Resiliency & Development

Establishing and Preserving an Effective City Manager/City Council Working Relationship

A review of the key ingredients for establishing and maintaining and effective working relationship with your elected officials.

Duration: 60-75 minutes (discussion concerning adapting this presentation to 2–3 hours is possible)
ICMA Practice Area: 8) Policy Facilitation and Implementation

Ethics and Integrity: How to Maintain a High Standard of Personal and Organizational Ethics

A review of the primary causes for personal and organizational ethical lapses and the strategies that can help avoid these lapses.

Duration: 60-75 minutes (discussion concerning adapting this presentation to 2–3 hours is possible)
ICMA Practice Area: 1) Personal and Professional Integrity

How Your Relationship with Your Department Heads Can Impact Your Relationship with Your Elected Officials

Effective strategies for developing and maintaining these key relationships.

Duration: 60-90 minutes
ICMA Practice Area: 8) Policy Facilitation and Implementation

Lessons from Cal-ICMA’s Survival Skills Project

A summary of the recently completed project to assess the most significant challenges faced by city and county managers with recommendations on how to address these challenges.

Duration: 60-75 minutes

The Outlier Elected Official

How to work effectively with the challenges of a difficult elected official.

Duration: 60-90 minutes
ICMA Practice Area: 8) Policy Facilitation and Implementation, 14) Communication and Information Sharing

From Other ICMA Staff Experts

ICMA staff experts can also present on the following topics to your local government or conference. Contact afox@icma.org for availability, pricing, and additional information: