During the ICMA Annual Conference Tuesday general session in Tampa, Florida, ICMA's CEO/Executive Director Julia D. Novak, President Michael Land, and members of ICMA's leadership team unveiled ICMA's FY 2025 Annual Report and presented organizational updates during the ICMA Annual Business Meeting. The agenda included:

Members can watch the full Annual Business Meeting in the video below: 

Thank you to members for their questions during the Annual Business Meeting. A number of questions were addressed in the video above; here are answers to questions we were unable to address in Tampa:

• How long will presentation materials from 2025 conference sessions be available on the conference app?
  Session presentations/handouts will be on the conference app through March 1, 2026.
   
• Any plan to expand Leadership ICMA back to a two-year program?
  We reimagined the Leadership ICMA program to be a one-year program to make it more accessible to participants who would have difficulty committing to a two-year program, particularly since acceptance into the program requires a commitment from a participant's jurisdiction for time and travel. At this time, we are not considering expanding the time commitment; however, we are always open to feedback.
   
• Are ICMA’s finances available to members to review?
  ICMA’s budget documents and IRS Forms 990 are available to members on the ICMA website.
   
• I appreciate the refocus on members. Are there any new programs/funding sources being sought that would compete with that interest and how will we ensure it (the member focus) doesn’t get lost again?
  Alignment between the ICMA staff and the ICMA Executive Board is critical to the direction of the organization. From #MembersMatter to #CommittedToTheCore, there is a dedicated focus on members. The best way for members to ensure this continues is through their connection to the ICMA board. Members should always feel free to reach out to their board representatives or to the ICMA Executive director at executivedirector@icma.org.
   
• How do we plan to engage with CAOs/ACAOs that are not ICMA members? Find out why they are not members?
  Outreach through state associations and conference attendance are key ways we interact with nonmembers.  During listening sessions, one of the questions we explore is whether people are members (or not) and if so “why” and if not “why not.”  This is important feedback for the organization.
   
• How is ICMA supporting students and how can students support ICMA? 
  ICMA provides student members with complimentary registration for the annual conference. ICMA student membership is only $25 or free if students join or form an ICMA Student Chapter. Forming an ICMA Student Chapter is free, it just requires the commitment of a faculty advisor within a university program. When students form a student chapter, they gain access to student chapter programming and resources, which includes the monthly student chapters newsletter, and content tailored to students like virtual happy hour events and events and sessions at the conference like the Best Chapters Event contest. ICMA is also exploring additional resources and benefits for students.
  
  In terms of what students can do to support ICMA, we could use more of their feedback and participation in workshopping ways to improve MPA curricula. Students could also potentially support the work of the Graduate Education Committee/Academic Relations Committee, reviewing materials and providing feedback. Getting students more involved in ICMA's decision making in supporting the pipeline and the next generation of managers would be great.
   
• Can we consider bringing back “merit” to the Code of Ethics?
  ICMA just completed a 10-year process that reviewed and revised each of the 12 Tenets of the Code of Ethics.  While there are no immediate plans to revise the Code, our ethics team will gather feedback and share with the board’s Committee on Professional Conduct for future consideration.  
   
• What is ICMA’s plan regarding (re)building its global strategy?
  There have always been two pieces of ICMA’s international work—one part technical assistance and the other part relationship building.  ICMA is committed to being a trusted partner with global organizations who share our commitment to professional management.  
   
• Given that many people leave conference on Tuesday and the vendors close on Tuesday, why have a half-day Wednesday? Is it worth it?
  This is a question we will consider for the future.  We are always looking to adjust the programming to meet members’ evolving needs and interests.
   
• Can we put Hot Topics 3.0 on the main stage during a general session? That would be epic!
  Not if it involves forcing ICMA staff and board members to get indigestion 😊. The days are too long for that! But we love watching it, too 😊
   
• Will we be getting better conference bags in the future? The past few years have been awful.
  Noted! Again, we appreciate the feedback and will take this into consideration.