For nearly 60 years, ICMA’s Local Government Excellence Awards have celebrated the people and programs advancing professional local government management. We want to honor those for whom the professional awards are named. Each one of them strengthened the profession in a distinctive way—from ethical leadership, mentorship, and academic scholarship to advocacy, career development, and effective governance. 

Their stories explain not only how these awards got their names, but also the values each honor is intended to recognize.

Mark E. Keane — Award for Career Excellence

A World War II veteran, Mark E. Keane (1919–2013) began his local government management career in 1950. Over the next 16 years, he went on to serve as city manager of Shorewood, Wisconsin; Oak Park, Illinois; and Tucson, Arizona. In 1967, Keane was appointed as ICMA’s fourth executive director. Throughout his 16-year tenure, Keane guided ICMA through a period of significant growth, including the association’s relocation from Chicago to Washington, D.C. Keane expanded opportunities for women and underrepresented communities in local government through scholarship and internship programs. His most enduring accomplishment, however, was the creation of the ICMA Retirement Corporation (ICMA-RC), which provided the first portable retirement benefit for professional local government managers. Following his retirement from ICMA in 1983, Keane continued to serve the profession as an educator at George Washington University, where he helped develop a master’s degree program in association management.

L. P. Cookingham — Award for Career Development

Laurie Perry (L. P.) Cookingham (1896–1992) is best known for serving as Kansas City, Missouri’s first professional city manager. He was appointed in 1940, and went on to transform the city following the collapse of the Pendergast political machine. In his 19-year tenure, he instituted merit-based hiring, strengthened financial accountability, eliminated patronage practices, and restored public trust in city government. Over his 40-year career, Cookingham shaped the modern city management profession by championing ethical leadership, professional administration, strategic budgeting, resident engagement, and clear distinctions between the roles of elected officials and professional managers. He also helped mentor and develop future generations of local government leaders through what became known as his “training school in government.”

Buford M. Watson Jr. — Assistant Excellence in Leadership Award

Buford M. Watson Jr. (1930–1989) began his local government career as an administrative assistant in San Angelo, Texas, before going on to serve as city manager of Henryetta, Oklahoma; Muskogee, Oklahoma; and Sioux City, Iowa. In 1970, Watson was appointed city manager of Lawrence, Kansas, and served in the role for nearly 20 years. Under his leadership, the city undertook major improvements, including the revitalization and beautification of downtown, expansion of parks and recreation facilities, development of business and research parks, enhancement of the municipal airport, and construction of a new city hall and riverfront plaza. Watson was also a prominent leader within the local government management profession, chairing ICMA committees and task forces, contributing to professional publications, fostering the exchange of ideas among local governments, and even serving as ICMA president from 1986 to 1987.

Stephen B. Sweeney, PhD — Academic Award

Dr. Stephen B. Sweeney (1900–1986) founded the Institute of Local and State Government at the University of Pennsylvania, now the Fels Institute of Government, in 1937. For the first 30 years of its history, the institute operated under his guidance as director, emphasizing practical problem-solving, professional ethics, and leadership development. In addition, Dr. Sweeney was a respected author, educator, and researcher whose work contributed to the growing body of knowledge in public administration. His publications explored topics related to local government management and professional education for public service, and his work helped elevate professional standards within local government management.

William H. Hansell Jr. — Early Career Leadership Award

William H. Hansell Jr. (1937–2013) began his career serving in management roles across Pennsylvania, including Catasauqua, South Whitehall Township, and Allentown. He later served as executive director of the Pennsylvania Municipal League before taking on his best-known role as ICMA’s executive director from 1983 to 2002. Throughout his tenure, Hansell expanded ICMA’s global reach by cultivating international programs and partnerships with local government management organizations around the world, creating ICMA University, and developing the Center for Performance Measurement and the ICMA Voluntary Credentialing program. Following his retirement from ICMA, Hansell continued his commitment to public service as a consultant, educator, Lehigh County commissioner, and eventually Lehigh County executive.

Martha Perego, ICMA-CM — Advocacy for Profession Award

Martha Perego, ICMA-CM, began her public service career in 1980 as a management analyst for Savannah, Georgia. She later served as finance director and assistant township manager for Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania, from 1984 to 1990, before becoming borough manager of Plum Borough, Pennsylvania. In 1998, Perego joined the ICMA staff, and over the course of nearly 25 years she held a series of leadership roles, including ethics advisor, director of ethics and membership, and managing director of member services and ethics. In these roles she guided local government professionals on issues related to ethical decision-making, conflicts of interest, public trust, and professional responsibility, strengthening the application and understanding of ICMA’s Code of Ethics within the profession.

Jan Perkins, ICMA-CM — Good Governance Award

Jan Perkins, ICMA-CM, began her local government career serving in several leadership positions across Michigan, including community development director and assistant city administrator in Adrian and deputy city manager in Grand Rapids. Her career later brought her to California, where she served as assistant city manager in Santa Ana before being appointed city manager of Morgan Hill and later city manager of Fremont. Since retiring from municipal management, Perkins has continued to serve local governments through her roles with consulting firms Management Partners, Baker Tilly, and Raftelis. In these roles, she has assisted cities, counties, and special districts with strategic planning, organizational assessments, leadership development, governing body effectiveness, and executive coaching. Perkins is a founding board member of Women Leading Government, an ICMA affiliate organization dedicated to supporting and advancing women in local government leadership. She currently serves as the Harrell-Hutchinson visiting urban management professional at Arizona State University.

Robert J. O’Neill Jr. — Good Governance Award

Robert J. O’Neill Jr. began his career in public sector consulting before being appointed city manager of Hampton, Virginia, in 1984, where he served 13 years before taking on the role of county executive in Fairfax County, Virginia. O’Neill served as president of the National Academy of Public Administration in 2000, and in 2002, he was appointed as ICMA’s executive director. Throughout O’Neill’s 14-year tenure at ICMA, the organization strengthened its focus on leadership development, ethics, and professional education. He created the Emerging Leaders Development Program, Leadership ICMA, and ICMA student chapters at MPA programs across the country. He also oversaw the creation of ICMA’s Leadership Advisory Board and the ICMA Fellows Program, now the Local Government Management Fellowship. Following his time with ICMA, O’Neill served as the first Harrell-Hutchinson visiting urban management professional at Arizona State University and is the current executive in residence for the Joseph P. Riley Jr. Center for Livable Communities at the College of Charleston.

John Nalbandian, PhD — Good Governance Award

Currently professor emeritus at the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas, Dr. John Nalbandian joined the faculty in 1976, and held the department chair position on two occasions. His teaching and research have focused on human resource management, leadership, and the relationship between politics and administration in local government, with an emphasis on the themes of collaboration, trust, ethical leadership, and balancing competing community interests. Dr. Nalbandian has earned national recognition for his contributions to public administration through his teaching, research, consulting, and service. He has advised local governments across the United States and internationally, delivered workshops for elected officials and professional managers, and served as a mentor to countless public servants.