At a recent ICMA Executive Board meeting, Bob O’Neill, ICMA executive director since 2002, informed the board that he would not extend his employment agreement beyond its current term, which ends December 31, 2016. While the board was disappointed to hear the news, many knew that the day would come eventually. Bob has been an amazing force behind—and in front of—ICMA, and it is hard to think of a future without him at the helm.

Bob said this was a very difficult decision and that while it is an extraordinary privilege to be executive director and one of the best jobs in the world, he felt it was time. He is thinking about the next chapter in making a contribution to the profession and plans to spend less time on airplanes and more time with family, especially his grandchildren.

Until his departure in 22 months, Bob is fully committed to pouring his energy into all that he does for the organization, the profession, and local government. As always, his schedule includes a tremendous amount of travel. In addition to the regional summits, Bob is heading to Dallas for an event with ICMA Strategic Partner SAS and to China for a development event with our China affiliate. And that’s just within the next few weeks.  

With the goal of announcing a new executive director at the 2016 ICMA Annual Conference in Kansas City, the board has developed an RFP to hire an executive search firm, a process that will conclude this summer. The 2015-2016 ICMA Executive Board, under incoming President Pat Martel’s leadership, will conduct the candidate selection part of the process. That process will include an active period of engagement for ICMA members to provide input to the board as it prepares for the challenging task of selecting our next executive director.

Times of transition can be challenging, but with the process the board has put in place, we will have the benefit of Bob’s leadership—not to mention his friendship—every step of the way. If you are interested in taking a look at the RFP, it is posted in the ICMA Job Center