Kathleen F. Rush is the village administrator of Woodridge, Illinois.

How did you get your start in local government?

I started with an interest in government generally, more in politics and elections, then had a teacher who asked me, "Have you thought about public administration?" That was my first exposure to the possibility of making a living through public service. 

And how did you get involved with ICMA?

When I was in my first position in the city of DeKalb, Illinois, I had the opportunity to work closely with the city manager. He really supported ICMA membership for all of the interns who were working under his supervision, and I became a member within two weeks of the start of my internship.

Are you a member of any other local government associations?

The community is a member of the National Public Employee Labor Relations Association (NPELRA) and International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA). We have also been involved with associations focused on human resources and other issues of importance to municipal governance.

How would you encourage the next generation of managers to get into local government?

When you are trying to encourage young people to join the profession, you expose them to the challenges and the rewards. There is an opportunity to teach them how rewarding it can be to work with the public. If they have an inclination to work in a service profession, this is a great job.

Do you have any tips for aspiring women managers?

To attract young women to the profession, I would encourage internships, to try to expose them to the risks and the rewards. For my own staff, I want to challenge them with meaty projects and help them achieve the target objectives. Once you start to have success, your confidence builds, which allows you to expand your expectations of yourself and provides a way to really improve your community.

What challenges have you faced in your career? And how did your ICMA membership help you?

Challenges in my career have been numerous. The situations have ranged from divisive boards and ineffectual leadership to very challenging public works and facility projects. In all of those cases, either ICMA has helped me by providing resources through the Knowledge Network where I can probe, inquire, and get perspectives from others across the country. Membership also provides the opportunity to attend the annual conference where networking leads to troubleshooting municipal issues, sharing personal challenges, and exchanging perspective. My ICMA colleagues have been excellent at truth telling and giving me reality checks when speaking about our careers.

What excites you about the profession right now? 

There is so much change right now. It is a difficult time in government. I am really excited by the idea of attracting younger people to the profession and reinvigorating city management.

What's the highlight of your career so far?

The highlight for me has been the opportunity to mentor young people. I've had the opportunity to supervise and watch probably 15 young people that I've had as interns go on to become city managers. Having those folks out there doing good things, and knowing that I had an opportunity to help them has been very rewarding.