In light of ICMA’s commitment to creating and supporting thriving communities, we’ve created a program in partnership with the Kettering Foundation and the National Civic League—the Leadership Institute on Race, Equity, and Inclusion. At the 2024 ICMA Annual Conference, attendees had the pleasure of hearing from the Leadership Institute on Race, Equity, and Inclusion Fellows on their Capstone reports. 

About the Program

The Leadership Institute on Race, Equity, and Inclusion Institute takes local government participants on a 12-to-18-month journey of interactive learning, networking with colleagues, and engaging discussions of the key leadership issues surrounding racial equity. 

Fellows expressed enjoying having other like-minded people to bounce ideas off of, and creating sustainable plans that achieved their goals. A common thread about the experience of the program was having the privilege of seeing how quickly the program’s changes positively affected the community. 

Some of the other highlights for fellows were:

• The ability to speak directly to constituents and uncover long-standing issues.
• Building a direct relationship with the community.
• The power of allyship with others doing equity work to move the needle forward. 

The goal of the institute is to support the ICMA Executive Board’s statement regarding systemic racism, and more specifically the commitment to: “Engage our members and partners in a process of listening to understand what our profession needs in order to deliver on the work of our mission and vision through the lens of equity and inclusion.” We look forward to continuing that mission with our 2025 Cohort.