Over the past few months, we’ve made several new ICMA leadership appointments and we wanted to match names and faces with the assignments these exceptional staff members have agreed to take on.

Global Development and Engagement

As we move toward our Envision ICMA Strategic Plan goal of becoming a truly global organization, we are fortunate to have Isabelle Bully-Omictin leading the way as managing director, Global Development and Engagement. She has been with ICMA for more than 26 years designing, managing, and implementing international local governance programs and has served as the director of  Global Program Management  since 2019. Isabelle has worked in numerous countries around the world, including Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, and many others. Her expertise extends to financial management, local economic development, performance measurement, crime and violence prevention, climate change adaptation, and civic engagement. Those of you who have lent your expertise to ICMA CityLinks and other global initiatives already know the energy and knowledge base Isabelle brings to this exciting new task. You’ll be hearing lots more from Isabelle and the rest of the ICMA team as we work toward making ICMA the home for local government professionals and stakeholders worldwide. We are looking at the structure of membership and several other teams to ensure alignment with our global journey.

Member Services, Ethics, and Regional Leadership

With the retirement of longtime director Martha Perego, Rob Carty, who most recently has led our career equity and advancement and next generation initiatives, has accepted the interim role of managing director of Member Services and Ethics. Rob worked closely with Martha and  has consistently demonstrated his talent and dedication to ICMA’s mission and members for nearly 20 years. He is well known for  the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit he brings to every assignment he takes on. He has established or expanded such programs as the Local Government Management Fellowship, ICMA Student Chapters, the Job Center, and the Academic Symposium, as well as serving as staff liaison to a number of executive board committees including the Governmental Affairs and Policy Committee and the Advisory Board on Graduate Education.  He came to ICMA from the city of San Diego, where he served as the public information officer. Rob is a graduate of the 2014 Leadership ICMA class and has received several staff awards over the years.

Jessica Cowles has been appointed ICMA’s ethics director. She served as ethics advisor for five years providing members with confidential ethics advice and training. She also focuses on enforcement of the Code of Ethics as a liaison to the board’s Committee on Professional Conduct. Jessica’s professionalism and excellent performance speak for themselves, having received the ICMA Transformational Leadership award in 2021 and the Mark of Excellence award in 2022. She completed ICMA’s certificate in High Performance Leadership in 2022. Jessica also authored revisions to the ethics chapter for the 6th edition of “Effective Supervisory Practices.” Jessica came to ICMA from Berwyn Heights, Maryland, where she was the chief administrative officer and chief financial officer. 

With the strong collaboration exhibited by Rob, Jessica and Christine Gendell, who leads the member benefits and services team, we are confident members will continue to receive the exceptional customer service to which they have become accustomed.

Two new regional directors have been appointed to support members as well, following a rigorous interview process. Matthew Fulton, Midwest Regional Director, served as city manager in the Minnesota communities of West St. Paul, Coon Rapids, and New Brighton, and as city administrator for Hartford, Wisconsin. He most recently worked with ICMA strategic partner Polco. He has long been involved with ICMA serving as an ICMA Executive Board Vice President for the Midwest, among other volunteer leadership positions. He also was president of the Minnesota City/County Management Association and a member of the executive board for the League of Minnesota Cities.

Gerald (Jerry) Giaimis will take on the role of Northeast Regional Director. He served as a town administrator in several New Jersey townships, including the Township of Maplewood, the Borough of Saddle River, the Township of Raritan, the Township of Scotch Plains, and the Township of Vernon.  Jerry has volunteered for a number of ICMA committees and is a current full corporate member of the New Jersey Municipal Management Association.

Brand Management, Marketing, and Outreach

One of the most visible ways ICMA serves members as well as prospective members, students, and partners is through our Brand Management, Marketing, and Outreach team. I am pleased to announce that Lynne Scott, who has more than 20 years of experience with ICMA, has agreed to serve as interim managing director of this key team. Most recently, Lynne served as director of membership marketing and led our Race, Equity, and Social Justice initiatives. She has extensive knowledge of ICMA processes, programs, and outreach channels making her vital to the delivery of ICMA products and services.  Among her many accomplishments, she worked on the first ICMA bookstore, served as co-creator of the Annual Leadership Institute, and launched ICMA’s web workshops. Lynne launched member marketing campaigns that increased early career and student membership, creating a pipeline to senior leadership and led the reimagination of PM magazine from a print publication to a print and digital format. Most recently, Lynne has worked diligently to engage members in ICMA’s diversity initiatives and recently gained member approval of constitutional changes that will diversify affiliate member participation. She was also instrumental in creating two flagship DEI programs: the Leadership Institute on Race, Equity and Inclusion, as well as the Equity Officer Cohort program, which helped ICMA successfully compete for a $1 million grant from the Gates Foundation.

I am proud to say all of these appointments reflect ICMA’s commitment to attracting and promoting top talent and I look forward to the contributions these leaders will make to our mission of advancing professional local governance worldwide.