ICMA Executive Director Marc Ott was presented with the Hall of Fame Award by the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) on October 8 during their 2020 FORUM. The NFBPA Hall of Fame Award was established in 1991 by the NFBPA Board of Directors to recognize and honor African Americans in public service whose accomplishments are noteworthy of emulation and who serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement to others in public service. Its creation was to pay tribute to African Americans who have achieved unprecedented “firsts” in public service. The selected individuals are worthy of national/international recognition for their life’s work and accomplishments, particularly in the face of obstacles.

Marc’s notable honor is significant, as he will be inducted into this prestigious Hall of Fame with other esteemed African American public servant icons such as Associate Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell; U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Robert Weaver; U.S. Representative Maxine Waters; American author, activist, civil rights leader, and wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King; first-ever elected African-American Governor L. Douglas Wilder, to name a few.

Join us in celebrating Marc on this prestigious recognition, which once again, indicates Marc’s incredible journey in local government, despite the odds. When asked about his reaction to this recognition, Marc humbly responded:

“I was quite surprised and a bit overwhelmed by this recognition and feel honored to share it with great Americans who I have admired my entire life.”