Hear perspectives from national and international authorities September 14-17 at the Charlotte Convention Center for the 100th ICMA Annual Conference.                   

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Nearly 3,000 key local government decision makers, exhibitors, and guests from cities, towns, counties, related entities, and private-sectors firms throughout the world will gather in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 14-17, as part of the 100th Annual Conference of ICMA, the International City/County Management Association. Sessions and presentations will focus on:

• Collaborative Service Delivery
• Maintaining Civility in a Challenging Environment
• Local Government Infrastructure Management
• The Technology Evolution
• The Personal Path of the Profession

Visit the ICMA Annual Conference website (http://icma.org/en/icma/events/conference/welcome) and click on “Sessions” for overview information and details on the annual conference educational program, featured speakers, and other events.

Conference keynote speakers will address topics from a range of backgrounds and perspectives:

• Sunday, September 14, 3:00-5:00 p.m.—The conference Opening General Session will set the stage for ICMA’s centennial celebration with the return of popular presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin. In a presentation based on her latest best-selling book, The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism,” Doris will tell the dynamic story of the first decade of the Progressive Era in American history, a tumultuous time of reform that ushered in the modern age and witnessed the development of professional local government management and the formation of ICMA.
   
  
  
• Monday, September 15, 8:30-9:30 a.m.—Described by The Wall Street Journal as the "world's most influential business thinker," Gary Hamel has changed the practice of management in companies and governments around the world with his pioneering concepts. His most recent book, What Matters Now: How to Win in a World of Relentless Change, Ferocious Competition, and Unstoppable Innovation, is an agenda for building organizations that can flourish in a world where the unprecedented is the norm. Gary will challenge and inspire local leaders to rethink how they lead

• Tuesday, September 16, 8:30-9:30 a.m.—A Senior Fellow at Duke University’s Center for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship, Dan Heath and his brother Chip are the best-selling authors of Made to Stick and Switch. In their latest book, Decisive, they tackle the thorny problem of how to overcome natural biases and irrational thinking to make better decisions about work, lives, organizations, and careers. Dan will introduce a four-step process that draws on extensive studies, stories, and research and offers specific, practical tools.

• Wednesday, September 17, 8:30-10:30 a.m.—Peter Kageyama is cofounder and producer of the Creative Cities Summit, an interdisciplinary event that brings together citizens and practitioners around the big idea of the city. The author of For the Love of Cities, Peter has spoken all over the world about bottom-up community development and the amazing people that are making change happen. His presentation will explore and celebrate what makes cities lovable and what motivates ordinary citizens to do extraordinary things for the places where they live.

Members of the media should also mark their calendars fora special telephonic press event on “What Marijuana Legalization Means for Local Communities and Local Governments,” featuring key local government leaders and experts on Tuesday, September 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 Eastern, in conjunction with the ICMA Annual Conference. Details, including instructions on how to register for and participate in this event, are available [link to online conference media kit].

Media representatives receive complimentary registration to attend any ICMA conference educational, special, keynote, or featured speaker session. To cover the ICMA Annual Conference or schedule interviews with ICMA member experts on a variety of topics, contact Michele Frisby at 301/646-1918 or mfrisby@icma.org. Or bring your press credentials and register onsite at the conference registration area located in Exhibit Hall A, on the Exhibit Level of the Charlotte Convention Center.

About ICMA

ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, advances professional local government worldwide. The organization’s mission is to create excellence in local governance by developing and fostering professional management to build sustainable communities that improve people’s lives. ICMA provides member support; publications; data and information; peer and results-oriented assistance; and training and professional development to 9,300 appointed city, town, and county leaders and other individuals and organizations throughout the world.

The year 2014 represents a number of significant milestones for ICMA: the 100th anniversary of  the association and the professionalization of local government management; the 90th year of the ICMA Code of Ethics, which defined the principles that today serve as the foundation for the local government management profession and a commitment to the highest ideals of personal and professional integrity; and the century-long commitment of ICMA members to professional development and continuous learning. Each of these events resulted from the development of the council-manager form of government, the blueprint for some of the most radical reforms in democratic governance since the signing of the Constitution or the development of the Federalist Papers.