Aligned with celebrations of International Women’s Day, ICMA held the 2025 SheLeadsGov Virtual Forum on March 5. The event’s success was notable with over 1,200 registrants who participated virtually or gathered in watch parties to engage with one another on the theme of “Innovate, Inspire, Impact.” SheLeadsGov forums are designed to bring together professionals who are passionate about empowering one another, making change in their communities, and driving innovation in local government. Through meaningful conversation, engaging sessions, and insights from a keynote speaker, participants left this year’s forum with invaluable tools and strategies to apply to their organizations and communities alongside a personal sense of belonging and inspiration.

Forum Programming 

This was the first year that the annual SLG forum was hosted live on ICMA’s interactive learning platform, the ICMA Learning Lab. Event participants received a certificate of completion for having attended and participated in the forum. Registration was complimentary courtesy of ICMA Strategic Partner Cigna Healthcare. The event began with a warm welcome from Pat Martel, ICMA West Coast regional director, and Kimberly Funderburk, president of government, education, and health at Cigna.  

The panel discussion, "Leadership Unleashed: Harness Your Potential," moderated by Kimberly Funderburk, explored unique challenges faced by women in roles within local government. Panelists Stephanie Lucash, deputy city manager, Kenmore, Washington; Jennifer Poirrier, city manager, Clearwater, Florida; and Monica Spells, ICMA-CM, deputy county administrator, Loudoun County, Virginia, discussed the role innovation plays in their communities when having to navigate obstacles. Innovation requires characteristics such as creativity, collaboration, and an understanding of needs that are, according to Spells, all qualities that women exhibit, making them natural innovators.  

Lucash shared that while balancing an understanding of policies and procedures is necessary, new ideas can often be implemented in local government if innovation is channeled as a mindset. For her, referring to opportunities as a “pilot,” or to try anything at least once, has been successful. Poirrier shared that to better understand rules and regulations that may be hindering innovation in your community, local government leaders can focus on the power of relationship building with stakeholders, policy makers, and industry leaders to learn how to best operate within a constraint or how to best suggest a need for change that will benefit the public. 

Following remarks from ICMA executive director and CEO Julia D. Novak, participants dove into a keynote speaker session led by Brooke Smith, Murray City, Utah. This session offered an interactive and thought-provoking exercise that examined the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence that is growing in both possibility and complexity. Critical conversations were borne from the session that addressed the importance of balancing critical thinking with the strategic and ethical adoption of AI in local government. 

An engaging dialogue on how Scottsdale, Arizona, successfully cultivated a world-class culture of employee health and wellness rounded up the event. Participants learned from Patty Jacobs, senior well-being coordinator, Cigna Healthcare; Niki Logan, senior strategic account executive, Cigna Healthcare; and Lynna Soller, HR manager, Scottsdale, Arizona, about data-driven initiatives, such as incentivizing preventive care, removing barriers to access, and creating customized solutions like the “Your Call” program for firefighters. 

Forum Impact 

On the day of the event, more than 500 attendees participated in the sessions and received a certificate of completion for three hours of continuing education credit. The forum provided ideas, topics, and new perspectives on leadership and career paths in local government. “When I learned that Jennifer [was] promoted from HR director to city manager,” shared Michele Cook, HR manager, Malibu, California, “it created a possible new career path for me that I had not previously considered.”  

Speakers shared about their own career journeys as accomplished women working in local government, and how well their stories resonated with the participants. “I became emotional when they said that women are natural innovators and that we matter,” said Cook, recalling an impactful moment from the first session of the forum, "Leadership Unleashed." “Monica gave good nuggets of information. I was impressed by Jennifer being promoted from HR director to city manager!” 

Several ICMA members, including Cook, organized SheLeadsGov watch parties to create a dynamic in-person space and complement the virtual forum environment, inviting a heightened level of collaboration and enrichment. By providing shared viewing experiences with colleagues and friends, the watch parties promoted networking, engagement, and direct attention and focus on the event. 

In years’ past, Cori Burbach, assistant city manager of Dubuque, Iowa, logged onto the virtual forum from her home office. This year, Burbach coordinated a watch party for colleagues and members of Women Rising Together (WRT), an employee resource group, to participate alongside one another. “The atmosphere was energetic from the beginning,” said Burbach, “We teased that the presenter kept using the word ‘nuggets’, but there truly were so many.” 

What surprised Burbach and Cook were the highly impactful conversations that sprouted during the watch parties. “We had a robust conversation about imposter syndrome driven by lots of us who have or had felt it at one time in our careers,” Burbach elaborated, “A few women in the room who had found ways to overcome the feeling are now the WRT’s ‘hype team.’” She explained how the hype team serves as a sounding board when women in Dubuque are doubting their voice. They remind each other to “not apologize for ourselves or our perspectives."

Engagement among participants didn’t stop when the event concluded. “We stayed for another hour to discuss what the group learned, what we should work on next collectively, and what people needed from each other," Burbach noted. Inspiration and collective action were fueled by her colleagues.

Beyond the Forum 

For Burbach, a takeaway she plans to explore is how to fuel connection beyond SheLeadsGov events hosted by ICMA. “As we talked about what women in the room needed at this stage in their professional or personal careers, we committed to being the biggest users of the city’s mentoring program,” said Burbach on the benefits and value of mentorship. “Several of us are ready to explore signing up to be mentees, and every woman in the room has life experiences that would make her a great mentor.”

ICMA works continuously to provide avenues for support for women in local government beyond hosting SheLeadsGov events. We are committed to promoting the value of mentorship and coaching among our membership while also tailoring to the professional development and career needs of our members. Some of the many readily available resources include access to professional guidance through ICMA's Career Compass Articles, as well as one-on-one opportunities for coaching through ICMA Coach Connect, ICMA’s online member community dedicated to connecting members of all career levels.

Several key occasions for women to network in-person occur at ICMA events like our bi-annual Local Government Reimagined Conferences and our largest event, the ICMA Annual Conference. The 2025 Annual Conference in Tampa, Florida, will feature the annual SheLeadsGov luncheon, where women in local government create longstanding relationships, highlight one another’s professional accomplishments, and brainstorm on current challenges and successes in the field.

Additional networking opportunities exist through ICMA’s relationships with state associations and strategic alliances, like the National Forum For Black Public Administrators (NFBPA), the Local Government Hispanic Network (LGHN), the International Network for Asian Pacific Islander Public Administrators (I-NAPA), and CivicPRIDE. These are organizations with which we share mutual interests in advocating for the profession, enhancing membership engagement, upholding ethics, and more.  

Unable to Attend the Forum? 

Individuals unable to attend the live event can access the recordings by registering for the free SheLeadsGov Forum course in ICMA's Learning Lab. By viewing the recording for each session and completing a survey, registrants can learn three continuing education credits that apply to ICMA Credentialed Manager requirements, or other professional certifications and needs.

Questions about SheLeadsGov or the 2025 Virtual Forum can be directed to Laura Savage, senior program manager, membership services and ethics, ICMA.