Contact: Michele Frisby, Director, Public Information, mfrisby@icma.org; 202-962-3658

Washington, D.C.—ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, announces that Strategic Partners eCivis and The Ferguson Group will underwrite two tuition scholarships to the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in State and Local Government program. As a result, two qualified ICMA members will attend the three-week program, which balances traditional and hands-on learning to help seasoned public officials meet the changing needs of their constituents and communities, either on June 6-24 or July 11-29, 2016.

“ICMA is grateful to The Ferguson Group and eCivis for enabling us to present two opportunities to attend this exceptional and highly-regarded program,” said Robert J. O’Neill, Jr., executive director, ICMA. “The generosity of these two organizations and their dedication to local government is a solid example of how a successful public-private partnership can further the goals of public service.”

The deadline to apply for the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in Local Government scholarship for individuals who have been members of ICMA for at least three years and who possess senior-level, executive management experience is February 10, 2016. A committee comprised of ICMA members will select the two 2016 scholarship recipients in March. More information is available here.

Karen E. Pinkos, 2012 scholarship recipient and assistant city manager,  El Cerrito, California, said that the Harvard Kennedy School program  “completely validated for me the role of government and the local government management profession, and I am more steadfast than ever that public service is the most rewarding, valuable, and important work one could ever do. I am so grateful for the opportunity the organizations that support the scholarship provided me to attend.”

eCivis and The Ferguson Group will also host a special conference session during ICMA’S 102nd Annual Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, September 25-28, 2016, which will highlight the unique, challenging, and rewarding learning opportunity that the Harvard Kennedy School program offers attendees.

About ICMA
ICMA, the International City/County Management Association advances professional local government management worldwide. Our mission is to create excellence in local governance by developing and advancing professional management to create sustainable communities that improve lives worldwide. ICMA provides member support, publications, data and information, peer and results-oriented assistance, and training and professional development to nearly 10,000 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.

About eCivis
eCivis is the leading cloud-based grants management system in the nation for local governments. eCivis' innovative solutions address both programmatic and fiscal grant funding requirements throughout the grant lifecycle, helping clients easily overcome the challenges and heavy workload that come with finding and managing grants. Government entities rely on eCivis to identify appropriate grants, submit competitive applications, and efficiently manage awards while dramatically reducing their administrative costs. eCivis assists them by providing a comprehensive grants database, training resources, and reporting tools for compliance and transparency, in addition to expert capacity building training.

About The Ferguson Group, LLC
The Ferguson Group L.L.C. (TFG) is a bipartisan government relations consulting firm founded in 1982 in the District of Columbia. We provide federal advocacy services to public agencies, including counties, cities, public works agencies, and joint powers authorities, in every region of the United States. TFG has been the preeminent provider of federal government relations advice to municipalities seeking to advance or protect their interests in Washington’s complex legislative and regulatory arenas. We also advocate on behalf of national organizations focused on federal issues directly impacting local government such as the National Association of Towns and Townships, the Manufacturing Alliance of Communities, the Agricultural Floodplain Management Alliance, and the Perfect Storm Communities Coalition.

TFG is privileged to have represented cities and counties in Washington D.C. for more than 33 years, helping clients across the nation build stronger communities.  In that time, TFG has come to appreciate the profound benefits of professionally managed public agencies to the communities they serve.  We are dedicated to serving local governments and value the partnerships we have formed with professionally managed cities and counties. We are proud and honored to support the ICMA Harvard Scholarship program to advance and sustain professional city and county management.