Women Leading Government (WLG), an ICMA affiliate, was started in 2006 in California to assist women in their career development. Now, WLG is moving beyond California, with active organizations forming in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, and Texas.

ICMA shares and supports WLG’s mission:

“To help women succeed in public service by enhancing career-building models that develop leadership skills and by networking professional women in government.” 

WLG is a framework for any state association with an interest in focusing on encouraging women in professional management in local government — all of the resources developed by other WLG groups in other states are shared freely. Since its inception, WLG has relied on its expanding network of women in the profession to design a robust series of events and support mechanisms to serve its members. These include regular women’s roundtable luncheons with motivational guest speakers, informal networking meetings for opportunities to get to know other women, monthly executive coaching calls, cosponsorship of six state-based Women’s Leadership Summits, and support for such national events as the “Inspiring Women in Public Administration” conferences at the University of Kansas.

Quick Facts for States Interested in the WLG Model

• The ICMA-hosted webpage for WLG welcomes states to share information about their activities in support of women in local government.
• Each state group decides on what type of WLG organization they want to have and create activities that meet the interests of the women in their states.

WLG Members Are:

• Women starting their careers who want to learn about opportunities.
• Mid-career women who are interested in strengthening their skills and moving up.
• Top-level women executives with a desire to network with other women in local government.
• All people dedicated to public service and the development of women leaders.

For more information about creating a WLG chapter in your state, contact Jan Perkins, ICMA liaison to Women Leading Government, at jperkins@managementpartners.com; Rita Ossolinski, ICMA director of State & Affiliate Relations, at rossolinski@icma.org; or Carol Jacobs, chair of Women Leading Government, at president@womenleadinggovernment.com. For more information about activities and events, visit the website.