This summary of key actions and discussion themes from the ICMA Executive Board’s May 1 virtual meeting and June 25–28 meeting in Washington, D.C., is organized around the three focus areas in ICMA’s Strategic Roadmap adopted by the board in June: Trusted and Valued Member Services; Focused and Relational Advocacy and Engagement; and Aligned and Sustainable Organization.

Trusted and Valued Member Services

• Reviewed and approved revisions to the Credentialed Manager process. Jodi Miller, chair of the Credentialing Advisory Board, presented the recommended revisions. Additional details, including implementation information, will be communicated to the membership in the coming months.

• Reviewed and approved recommended changes to the Rules of Procedure for Enforcement of the Code of Ethics. The updates are intended to make the ethics review process clearer, more consistent, and distinct from a legal or investigative process, including replacing terms such as “investigation” and “evidence” with language that better reflects ICMA’s peer-review approach. The revisions also clarify who may file a complaint; strengthen expectations around confidentiality, transparency, due process, and appropriate use of the ethics review process; and outline how complaints, decisions, and hearings should be handled.

• Approved the 2027 Distinguished Service awardees.

• Named the Good Governance Award in honor of Jan Perkins, Robert J. O’Neill Jr., and John Nalbandian,, recognizing their decades of contribution in helping the profession understand and support the council-staff partnership.

• Approved ICMA Form of Government Recognitions for Village of New Baden, Illinois; Hoffman Estates, Illinois; Pelham, Alabama; and Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. ICMA acknowledges communities that have adopted or affirmed a form of government aligned with professional local government management.

Focused and Relational Advocacy and Engagement

• Relocated the 2027 annual conference from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and moved Toronto to 2033.

• Approved updates to the Policy on Conference Site Selection, which will allow more flexibility to accommodate this growing event.

• Reviewed the historical context and impact of ICMA’s participation in the Big 7, composed of ICMA, the Council of State Governments, National Association of Counties, National Conference of State Legislatures,National Governors Association, National League of Cities, and U.S. Conference of Mayors.

• Approved the new Regional Nomination Agreements and region names.

• Approved changes to the Board Guidelines on Nominations and Elections, the nomination process, and the annual election schedule for 2027.

Aligned and Sustainable Organization

• Adopted the framework for ICMA’s Strategic Roadmap, including ICMA’s Vision, Mission, Values, and three focus areas: Trusted and Valued Member Services; Focused and Relational Advocacy and Engagement; and Aligned and Sustainable Organization.  The new Roadmap will be shared with the membership during the Business Meeting at annual conference.

• Prioritized strategies within the Roadmap focus areas to provide guidance to staff as they finalize tactics  and develop implementation plans.

• Approved the FY 2027 budget, which presents a balanced operating budget for the first time since FY 2022 and continues ICMA’s work to reshape the organization for long-term fiscal sustainability.

• Reviewed the FY2025 Third Quarter Financial Results report.

• Approved ICMA’s financial policies, which provide guidance for how ICMA manages its financial resources and practices.

• Interviewed and selected the ICMA 2026 President-Elect, Stephanie Mason, township manager of Doylestown, Pennsylvania.