The ICMA Welcome Ambassadors celebrate their tenth anniversary this year! In recognition of this milestone, PM magazine is sharing the stories of current and former Welcome Ambassadors.

Molly Mehner, ICMA-CM | Assistant City Manager, Cape Girardeau, Missouri | ICMA member since 2012

The Welcome Ambassadors are a group of member volunteers tasked with welcoming new members to ICMA, making peer-to-peer connections, and sharing the value of belonging to ICMA and the local government profession.

ICMA has more than 12,000 members, and often, outreach from a Welcome Ambassador is a new member’s first contact with another ICMA member. This initial communication is intended to provide a personalized warm welcome, information on the many benefits and resources ICMA has to offer, and a friendly contact that a new member can reach out to for more information. Welcome Ambassadors frequent ICMA annual and regional conferences and are identified by special green lanyards. They staff welcome tables and receptions, attend meetings and sessions, and are always on the lookout for a member who may need directions or just a friendly face.

I have been fortunate to serve as a Welcome Ambassador since 2018, and currently serve as the ICMA Executive Board liaison to the committee. It is an honor to work with such dedicated colleagues. Over the last ten years, the Welcome Ambassadors contacted more than 7,000 new ICMA members and I expect this number to continue to increase. The Ambassadors’ role is more critical than ever as we search for new ways to engage with our peers given the virtual world the COVID-19 pandemic has put upon us.

As one might expect, the Ambassadors are an outgoing, fun bunch of individuals who truly enjoy sharing everything ICMA has to offer with new members and making everyone feel welcome and included. Beginning with this issue and over the course of 2021, you will be introduced to current and former Ambassadors in PM magazine and hear about their motivation to serve their peers.

Moses Amidei, ICMA-CM | Member in Transition | ICMA member since 2002

I have been an ICMA Welcome Ambassador for the past three years. We are tasked to reach out to new members to welcome them to our great organization, offer links to resources, and be available to answer any questions that they have about their ICMA membership. ICMA’s greatest strength and assets are its staff and members; new members are reminded that colleagues are their best resource for solutions, best practices, and help along the way throughout their career. New members—especially those that are new to the profession—need to know that they should never feel alone if they are faced with new challenges, as we all have “been there and done that,” collectively.

Membership engagement is also important at ICMA Annual Conferences. First-time attendees and those new to the profession are supported by Welcome Ambassadors upon conference check-in and during designated events. I truly appreciated the help of my fellow ICMA colleagues during my first conference in Kansas City. I soon learned how much of a tight-knit family we are. The Ambassadors helped me navigate my first conference experience and encouraged me to take advantage of as many networking opportunities as possible. As our profession continues to evolve and change, I look forward to connecting with our expanding membership as I continue on my career path in local government.

Karen Pinkos, ICMA-CM | City Manager, El Cerrito, California | ICMA member since 1999

In all my years as an ICMA member, I have had the honor and pleasure of serving the profession in a variety of ways—on committees, task forces, and the Executive Board. However, one of my favorite experiences was serving as a Welcome Ambassador. Being part of a team that has the purpose of greeting people new to ICMA and making them feel welcome, sharing insider information on our amazing profession, and making new friends? Count me in!

Some of my best memories of being a Welcome Ambassador were the in-person receptions for first-time attendees at ICMA Annual Conferences. It was fun to peek at people’s name tags and recognize the names I might have emailed, called, or messaged on Twitter, and meet them in person. I loved sharing tips on how to navigate the conference (it can be a bit intimidating your first time, as we all know!) and introducing people to other people to help them make even more connections.

Frankly, I’ve never been fond of the concept of “networking.” The word itself to me implies, well, work—it can feel obligatory and sometimes inauthentic. Instead, my view is to simply make new friends, not because we have to, but because we are all better for having met a variety of people that care about each other and our communities. Being a part of the Welcome Ambassador team, and the friends I’ve made through the ICMA experience, is a huge part of who I am within the local government management world. These friends have sustained me in good times and bad, and I am a better manager and person because of them.

If you are looking for a way to get involved and, most importantly, to get to know a lot of really awesome people, I invite you to join the Welcome Ambassador team. And I extend a heartfelt “thank you” to all my wonderful, fun, and talented Welcome Ambassador friends that I’m honored to have worked with. You have helped make ICMA a great experience for so many people, and we are truly better together!