The Honorary Membership Award is awarded to an individual outside of the local government management profession because of their distinguished public service and contributions to the improvement and strengthening of local government. 

Individuals eligible for Honorary membership include, but are not limited to, academic leaders, elected officials, and civic leaders.

Criteria Include:

• Contributions to strengthening the structure of local government.
• Leadership in increasing citizen understanding of the governance and management of local government.
• Initiatives that brought about improvement and development of local government managers.
• Programs, writing, or general career contributions that have enhanced the responsiveness and effectiveness of local government.

Furthermore, the candidate must have made a considerable contribution either to the improvement of local government, the management profession, or to the public's understanding and appreciation of responsive and well-managed local government.

A nomination for Honorary membership can be made by any voting member of ICMA and should be e-mailed to jlee@icma.org. See the list of past recipients, including the 2022 recipient: Alison McKenney Brown (Lakewood, Colorado).