You Are Not Alone

Aram Chaparyan, ICMA-CM

City Manager, Torrance, California

“The common bond that ICMA members have is the willingness to serve. The renewed enthusiasm and hope are what gives you the energy to come back and to go another year, to get through the budget cycle, or a council election, or some hot topic, and to know that you’re not alone, none of us are alone. Somehow, we’re part of this broader network that we’re all tied to by our commitment and it’s reassuring to know that there’s people who are genuinely committed to public service.”

The Opportunity to Be of Service

Ben Effinger

Operations Chief (Division Manager), Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector

“[ICMA] affords me the opportunity to still be of service and give back to the local government community. With the start of the Veterans Advisory Committee, I have been able to lean in and give back to a career field that has given a lot to me. I think that ICMA has done a great job with a lot of the committees and work that they do to connect these local government agencies both nationally and internationally. You know, we wear that public service hat all day long in our communities, but it’s also great to give back to the career field as a whole.”

There Are So Many Resources

Donna Gayden, ICMA-CM

City Manager, Long Beach, New York

“ICMA helps me a lot! I read the briefing that comes through every day, and I always go down to the bottom of the page where you can get those free newsletters. One I just got was about how to avoid burnout. I’m sharing that with my executive team because at some point, especially during these hard last couple of years, it’s easy to be burned out. So that will be in my ‘tool shed’ from now on, and there’s a lot of resources on the ICMA website that you can take advantage of as well.”

Networking and Lifelong Friends

Jorge Gonzalez, ICMA-CM

Village Manager, Bal Harbour, Florida

“The networking opportunities and the lifelong friends and colleagues that I’ve made along the way when I was young in my career and living in close proximity to ICMA’s main office, really gave me a leg up and an opportunity to get to know not just other professional managers, but the folks who actually work at ICMA and how much they do for the organization.”

The ICMA Code of Ethics

Jeffrey Stonehill, ICMA-CM

Borough Manager, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

“The Code of Ethics is the backbone of what makes us different. I’ve been proud to include the Code of Ethics in all my conversations—with my governing body, with my citizens. It lets people know that it is an important part of who I am, it’s fundamental to my profession and it’s fundamental to me. In an era when people are skeptical about government, it sets us apart.”

Professional Development

Michael Colbert

County Administrator, Montgomery County, Ohio

“ICMA has given me a wealth of contact information and knowledge. It also allows you to expand your professional development. ICMA is always sending out the opportunity for you to be a part of either larger conversations on hot button issues or to be a part of professional development for your own self. Things like CARES Act, infrastructure, or management - how to retain employees. So, I’m very thankful for ICMA and the networking that they provide, and I’m also thankful for the courses and the broader classroom exercises that they provide. It’s a wealth of knowledge and I would encourage anybody in government to be a part of ICMA. It’s a fantastic organization.”

Career Growth and International Experiences

Charlene Marsh

Local Government Management Fellow, Decatur, Georgia

“I view my career as more of a jungle gym rather than a ladder I’m climbing. So something I am considering doing after I finish my fellowship is likely getting out the city manager’s office…get a little bit more of that horizontal experience and develop skills and expertise in different background areas...like planning and public works. I do aspire to be a city manager one day. (With) my family being from Liberia, West Africa, something that I’m really interested in is possibly assisting with local governance capacity building with Liberia in the future and that’s something exciting about the ICMA programs—specifically the International Programs.”