FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Rob Carty, Director, Career Services & Next Generation Initiatives | rcarty@icma.org | 202-962-3560

WASHINGTON, D.C.-– ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, and the League of Women in Government (the League) have formally joined forces to create a new strategic affiliation. Through this partnership, the two organizations will combine their efforts to drive the advancement of women in local government leadership roles. 

The League supports local and statewide organizations that advance women in local government senior executive leadership through education programs, mentoring, and professional support. Key objectives include educating public officials about the value of gender balance and diversity in local government leadership, strengthening relationships between local government groups supporting women, and providing leadership and professional development opportunities to women in local government.

Roughly 20 percent of chief administrative officers (CAOs) who responded to ICMA’s most recent State of the Profession Survey, including members and nonmembers, are women, and while that percentage significantly exceeds that of private-sector CEOs (e.g., five percent of Fortune 500 CEOs), there is still much work to be done.

“Given the need to advance the number of women in management in our profession, we’re excited to announce this partnership between ICMA and the League of Women in Government,” said Marc A. Ott, executive director, ICMA. “In every sector—public, private, and nonprofit—women occupy a fraction of management roles. We believe we can improve the numbers for local government exponentially faster  through this partnership with the League.” 

“This new affiliation with ICMA will increase training and education opportunities for and about women in local government without duplicating efforts that are already established in several areas of the country,” said Ashley Jacobs, president, League of Women in Government. “There are still many barriers but so much opportunity and a lot of enthusiasm now to effect change.” 

This partnership supports ICMA’s strategic plan initiative "to expand and diversify the ICMA membership" and continues the efforts started by ICMA’s Task Force on Women in the Profession, which reviewed the status of women in the local government management profession and developed recommendations and strategies for increasing their presence within the field.

“The partnership between ICMA and the League is a wonderful achievement this year, which also happens to mark the fifth anniversary of the Task Force Report,” said Pamela Antil, chair, ICMA Task Force on Women in the Profession and co-founder of the League. “Together with ICMA we can expand our reach and share resources to better inform our constituencies and truly move the needle forward for women in local government.”

About ICMA
ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, advances professional local government management worldwide through leadership, management, innovation, and ethics. ICMA provides member support; publications; data and information; peer and results-oriented assistance; and training and professional development to more than 12,000 city, town, and county experts and other individuals and organizations throughout the world. The management decisions made by ICMA's members affect millions of individuals living in thousands of communities, from small villages and towns to large metropolitan areas. ICMA has gathers more data on local government than any organization except the federal government, spanning a broad spectrum from economic development to local government innovation.

About the League
The League of Women in Government serves as the umbrella organization to support local and statewide organizations that advance women in local government leadership to move the needle forward on the number of women serving at the most senior and executive levels in all areas of local government. The League of Women in Government has more than 4,700 members, and is governed by an unpaid chief administrative officer and ten board members from across the U.S. The League is a fiscal project of OneOC, a California 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. Follow the League on Twitter @WomenLeadingGov, Facebook and Instagram or visit their website, LeagueOfWomenInGovernment.org.