ICMA’s Veterans Advisory Committee established the ICMA Veterans Recognition Award to honor high-performing veterans who have transitioned into local government roles and contributed significantly to their communities. The award acknowledges their exceptional service and seeks to challenge and change perceptions and biases against those who have served in the Armed Forces.

The 2026 awardees are exemplary leaders who have used their military experiences to drive meaningful change in their municipalities. The Veterans Advisory Committee is pleased to recognize the following 2026 Veterans Recognition Award recipients.

Casey Lucius

Continuing a Commitment to Serve 

 A U.S. Navy Veteran and former intelligence officer with seven years of military service, Dr. Casey Lucius has carried her commitment to service into a distinguished career in local government. Her public service includes both elected and professional leadership, beginning with four years on the city council of Pacific Grove, California, and continuing in Marco Island, Florida, where she advanced through municipal management roles before becoming city manager in 2026.

Central to Casey’s leadership is a commitment to listening to and engaging the people she serves. Following Hurricane Ian, she initiated an employee after-action survey to identify lessons from the response and recovery, openly acknowledging areas for improvement and helping translate employee feedback into concrete actions to strengthen emergency preparedness and support. By sharing those lessons with other local government professionals, she extended their value well beyond Marco Island. In Marco Island, she helped implement expanded communication and community engagement strategies, including the My Marco mobile app, giving residents easier access to important notifications and a direct way to report service concerns.

Casey also invests in the broader local government community. Through her publication of articles and participation in webinars and ICMA’s Veterans Advisory Committee, she has helped Veterans understand how to translate their military experience, navigate civilian hiring, and pursue meaningful careers in local government.

Casey’s commitment to learning, mentoring others, and strengthening the communities she serves reflects the enduring spirit of public service celebrated by the ICMA Veterans Recognition Award Recognition.

Dalton Rice 

Service to Country, Community, and Profession

A U.S. Army Veteran and former Green Beret with 13 years of military service, Dalton Rice has carried his commitment to service into a distinguished career in local government. Drawing on his experience in Special Forces, emergency services, and healthcare administration, Dalton served as city manager of Morgan’s Point Resort before becoming city manager of Kerrville, Texas, in 2023.

Dalton’s leadership was tested during the catastrophic July 2025 Guadalupe River flood, when he helped guide Kerrville’s emergency response, coordinate across departments, communicate with the public, and support employees serving a devastated and grieving community. His leadership continued through the difficult work of recovery and was called upon again when the community experienced another major flood in July 2026. Dalton has since shared lessons from these experiences with other local government professionals, helping prepare emerging leaders to navigate crises and build more resilient communities.

Beyond City Hall, Dalton supports organizations focused on economic development, adult education, Veterans, and community service. An ICMA member and member of the Veterans Advisory Committee, he continues to bring the leadership, resilience, and dedication developed through military service to his community and profession. 

Dalton’s steadfast commitment to serving others, in uniform and in local government, exemplifies the spirit and purpose of the ICMA Veterans Recognition Award.

Dave Slezickey

A Lifetime of Leadership and Service

With more than 33 years of service in the U.S. Army and Oklahoma Army National Guard, Dave Slezickey has dedicated his career to serving both country and community. As Command Sergeant Major of the 45th Field Artillery Brigade and a local government professional with more than 20 years of experience, Dave brings the values of leadership, teamwork, and continuous improvement to his role as city manager of The Village, Oklahoma. 

Dave’s commitment to community goes well beyond City Hall. He regularly volunteers alongside residents at community events and created a program encouraging city employees to give back through volunteer service. He also uses innovative communication tools to keep residents informed about projects, improvements, and new opportunities in their community.

The same spirit of service that defines Dave’s military and municipal careers is reflected in his longstanding commitment to the local government profession. Dave has served in leadership roles in the City Management Association of Oklahoma, including two terms as president. He also served on the ICMA Executive Board as a Mountains Plains regional vice president. He helped create Oklahoma’s Emerging Leaders Academy, mentors future managers through ICMA CoachConnect, and serves as an ICMA welcome ambassador. He was also instrumental in establishing a statewide veterans committee in Oklahoma to recognize and promote veterans throughout local government and currently serves on ICMA’s Veterans Advisory Committee.

Dave’s extraordinary record of military service, community involvement, mentorship, and professional leadership exemplifies the enduring commitment to service recognized by the ICMA Veterans Recognition Award.

The accomplishments of these three award recipients demonstrate that service does not end when a military career does. Each has carried a commitment to leadership, community, and public service into local government, applying the skills and perspectives gained through military service to new challenges and opportunities. Their success underscores the tremendous value veterans can bring to our profession and the communities we serve. As local governments look for the next generation of talented, mission-driven leaders, veterans represent an extraordinary source of experience, resilience, and dedication. By creating pathways for veterans to continue their service in local government, we strengthen both our profession and our communities.

For additional information about ICMA’s veterans programs, visit icma.org/topics/veterans or follow us on LinkedIn. 

For any questions on how to support ICMA's veterans programming, including the Veterans Local Government Management Fellowship, please email us at veterans@icma.org.