There are many opportunities for you as an ICMA member to use your talents and interests to become engaged in ICMA and support the profession. The level of commitment varies depending on the opportunity you select. Joining a task force is a year-long commitment. Serving as a coach may require an hour a month or a lifelong commitment to the success of your mentee. Review all the opportunities to find your match. The Call for ICMA Member Task Forces and Committees typically opens each year in March.
Task Forces
Committees
Committees draw on the skills and interests of a broad cross-section of the ICMA membership to study issues of interest and importance to the organization or to local government in general. They also provide an opportunity for member connection and networking. ICMA committees are primarily those with delegated decision-making authority from the board. They have advisory roles and are ongoing, with members serving staggered terms.
The ICMA Executive Board establishes the task forces and committees at its February board meeting. Members are encouraged to volunteer in the spring, and appointments are made by the president-elect in June. New groups typically begin their work in the fall.
Task Force/Committee Member Roles, Expectations, and Responsibilities
Committee volunteers commit to:
- Participate actively on the committee by attending at least one committee meeting per year and letting the chair know if you are not able to attend any meetings. (Members must participate in order to remain on the committee.)
- Follow through on assigned tasks by meeting deadlines, returning phone calls, responding to requests for input via e-mail, etc.
- Respect the opinions of other committee members and the role of the committee chair to build consensus on the specified task.
- Represent the committee to assistants' and managers' associations in their area by attending state or national association meetings, making brief presentations, or writing articles about the committee's work for state or national association newsletters.
Current Committees and Task Forces
Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Committee
Through committee-wide and subcommittee support, the Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Committee (ACAOC) advises staff and assists with the development and enhancement of programs, services, content, resources, and initiatives for current and future assistant, deputy, and dual-role managers in local government. The ACAOC was created in 2019 upon recommendation of the Assistant-Deputy Manager Task Force. Today, the ACAOC consists of 40 members and is led by two co-chairs.
The committee’s strategic guidance improves the preparation of the next generation of ACAOs, expands support for current ACAOs, and builds better relationships between ACAOs and their CAOs, organizations, and communities. Specifically, the committee assists with the ACAO Exchange Program and sessions at the ICMA Annual Conference; provides feedback to ACAOs on the Conference Planning Committee; authors monthly PM magazine articles and blog posts; assists in the development of resources for members, such as global/international initiatives and outreach to civics education; and lends expertise for resources like guidebooks and toolkits.
ACAOC appointees should have expertise in current content areas, and in helping ACAOs succeed in their career transitions into the deputy/assistant role and as interim manager. Additionally, ICMA seeks committee representation among the membership from different regions, career positions or job functions, local government type, and diversity of gender, race, and age. The ideal committee size will be 30-50 volunteers to assure strong meeting attendance and development of subcommittees to oversee specific priorities, programs, and initiatives. The ACAOC meets monthly via a virtual platform throughout the year. Volunteers should be ACAOs (assistant/deputy managers or adjacent duties) or have recently been in that career positi
Awards Evaluation Committee
The Awards Evaluation Committee reviews and evaluates nominations to ICMA's Local Government Excellence Awards Program and selects recipients for Professional and Program Awards, which are conferred at the ICMA Annual Conference. The committee is also responsible for the integrity of the program, bears the responsibility for establishing criteria for the evaluation process, and recommends the creation or reorganization of awards. There are limited appointments to the panel, which contains 17 members representing each of ICMA's six regions and includes multiple at-large positions. Panel members serve a three-year term. The committee may meet at the annual conference to establish a workplan, participates in one or two conference calls per year, and works in committees to review and rate awards. Knowledge and experience in creating and/or implementing local government programs and policies is required.
Conference Evaluation Committee
The 2022 Annual Conference Evaluation Committee evaluates the ICMA Annual Conference. The committee will meet via conference call prior to the 2022 ICMA Annual Conference and will meet again post-conference to complete the evaluation process. Feedback may also be solicited in writing. Committee members are appointed for a term of one year. Attendance at the conference is required.
Conference Planning Committee
The 2023 Annual Conference Planning Committee plans the education component of the ICMA Annual Conference. The 2023 Annual Conference Planning Committee will meet virtually in the fall of 2022. The 2023 Annual Conference Planning Committee’s main meeting will be held in Austin, Texas, in late 2022/early 2023. Committee members will participate on conference calls, as needed, throughout the year. Committee members are responsible for reviewing and scoring session submissions to assist in determining the educational content of the annual conference. They will also serve as liaisons to assigned sessions. Committee members are appointed for a term of one year. Availability to attend conference planning committee meetings and the annual conference is required.
Digital Strategies Committee
The Digital Strategies Committee influences member and prospective member engagement with ICMA through digital platforms such as icma.org, social media, etc. The committee helps to identify the knowledge-sharing needs of local government professionals and provides feedback on the current member experience and ideas for future applications. Committee members serve as leaders in the icma.org digital community by making active contributions in their areas of expertise and encouraging colleagues to do the same. The committee meets once in person at the ICMA Annual Conference and at least once by conference call during the year. The committee has a maximum of 25 members. Members should have familiarity with websites, metrics (SEO, Google Analytics), icma.org; familiarity with social media channels and best practices; willingness to test new applications; willingness to regularly engage with ICMA platforms (website, apps, social media) and serve as ambassadors for member engagement with digital platforms.
Governance Task Force (Not in the Current Call for Volunteers)
This Task Force will evaluate ICMA’s governance structure and present recommendations to the ICMA Executive Board on a governance structure, and related processes, that will achieve ICMA’s goal to be a diverse, inclusive, and global organization. Any member is eligible to submit their interest in serving on this Task Force. Applicants will have an opportunity to explain their interest in serving. Ability to demonstrate active engagement in ICMA is an important criteria for consideration. The Task Force will begin its work at the Austin Conference in September 2023 and submit a report with recommendations to the Board by December 2024. It is anticipated that the Task Force will meet monthly in order to complete its work.
Governmental Affairs and Policy Committee
The Governmental Affairs and Policy Committee (GAPC) is tasked with reviewing current and proposed federal, and in some cases state, legislative and judicial action for impacts on local governments. The committee periodically provides feedback to ICMA on a current policy or regulatory issue. The committee is made up of approximately 60 members and meets in person or virtually twice annually: at the ICMA Annual Conference and in conjunction with the National League of Cities’s March Congressional Cities Conference. Members serve staggered 3-year terms. Members should have significant experience working with local, state, and federal elected and appointed officials and advocacy groups, be familiar with state and federal legislative and budget processes, and be able to understand and communicate the impacts of proposed legislation and/or pending litigation to local governments.
Graduate Education Committee
The Graduate Education Committee (GEC) meets jointly with professors of public administration for the purpose of enhancing the education of future local government management professionals. GEC members are appointed by ICMA's executive director and work hand-in-hand with NASPAA's Local Government Management Education Committee through two subcommittees: Academic Connections and Filling the Pipeline. GEC members have created a number of useful tools for improving the education of future managers, including Model Internship Guidelines and Guidelines for Managers Who Teach, which can be found at icma.org/teach. The GEC is made up of about 70 members and may meet annually at the ICMA Annual Conference and hold conference calls throughout the year. Volunteers should be adjunct faculty, guest instructors/lecturers, full-time academics, or otherwise interested in developing the future of the profession and academic/practitioner relations.
Harvard Kennedy School Committee
The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Committee was created in 2011 when ICMA obtained the first funder for a member scholarship to attend the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program. The purpose of the committee is to review applications and select the candidate(s) to receive the ICMA scholarship. The committee reviews the criteria for the scholarship and provides guidance and support to promote the scholarship. The current committee of 11 members includes former ICMA scholarship recipients. Members must be program alumni and are appointed by the president-elect for 1-year term.
ICMA Welcome Ambassadors
The Welcome Ambassadors Committee utilizes ICMA’s best resource—its current members—to welcome new members to the community. The Welcome Ambassadors provide meaningful, peer-to-peer outreach to members who have recently joined ICMA, with a global focus on members serving in local government and students in MPA programs. The committee consists of approximately 45 representatives from across ICMA’s six regions who meet at the conference and then virtually. Members are asked to contact new members via email or phone; provide feedback to ICMA, including what the needs of the new members are, with an eye toward continually improving the process with which we welcome new members into the ICMA community; and act as an ICMA Ambassador when attending state and regional meetings. Members must have the availability to complete monthly tasks, participate in quarterly conference calls, have a passion for the profession and a strong knowledge of the value of ICMA membership, plus an interest in expanding their own professional network by interacting with dozens of new members over the course of the year.
International Committee
The ICMA International Committee serves as an advisory body to the ICMA Executive Board on a range of international matters and carries out an annual charge as defined and described by the board. The committee works to communicate the value of having an international perspective to members, and state and affiliate organizations, and emphasize the “I” in ICMA. The committee works closely with staff to review ongoing relationships with ICMA's international affiliate organizations and reviews staff progress on updating affiliate agreements. The committee also examines ways to ensure that important member-to-member interactions still occur among and between affiliates and ICMA members. The committee supports the implementation of ICMA scholarships and fellowships supporting international work. The committee meets at least twice annually: at the ICMA Annual Conference and at the ICMA International Regional Conference, which is typically held in an international location in the spring in conjunction with one of ICMA's international affiliate organizations meetings. The spring meeting can be held at the ICMA Executive Board meeting, when it is held internationally every three years. The committee consists of 30 individual ICMA members. Each committee member serves for three years. Members from each of ICMA’s international affiliate organizations are natural members of the committee.
Committee members should have international experience, an international focus or an interest in gaining international experience. Attendance at the committee meetings and participation in committee projects and ICMA’s international activities are important factors that will be considered for reappointment after the term ends. An active committee member can serve for a second term if recommended by the staff and approved by the ICMA President-Elect. A member can serve two terms maximum, except for the chair and vice chair, who can serve longer if reappointed.
Performance Management Committee
ICMA’s Performance Management Committee is charged with helping to advance the practice of performance management in the profession and in individual local governments. Committee members do this by providing advice to ICMA regarding leading practices in performance management and analytics and by encouraging their peers to adopt these practices. The committee of approximately 24 members meets virtually on a quarterly basis and may meet at the ICMA Annual Conference. They also share their knowledge and experience from time to time on specific research questions and serve on conference panels within their states. Appointments are for two-year, renewable terms. Committee members should be familiar with leading practices in performance management and analytics.
Smart Communities Committee
The Smart Communities Committee provides support for ICMA’s LocalGovernment Reimagined initiative, a new effort by the association to identify and share innovations in local government leadership, management, and service delivery to create more resilient, equitable, and livable communities. The committee helps with content offered under the Local Government Reimagined initiative, including the writing of articles and identifying potential topics and subject matter experts for webinars, podcasts, and more. It seeks to address the information and content needs of all ICMA members, providing information to all ranges of knowledge and experience. The Ideal committee member will be either highly interested in innovation or a subject matter expert in one or more innovative concepts within local government to aid in the development of educational content. Appointments are for a three-year term. The committee will meet at least quarterly and may be engaged more often as needed.
Sustainable Communities Committee
ICMA’s Sustainable Communities Committee (SCC) supports the advancement of more sustainable, livable, and resilient communities by promoting sustainability as a best practice of local government and a core competency of city and county management; serving as advisors, partners, peer-to-peer mentors, and advocates for creating more sustainable communities; assisting ICMA in expanding its portfolio of sustainability tools and resources, and grant-funded sustainability initiatives; and establishing ties between SCC and other ICMA committees where there are benefits to both groups, such as the International Committee. The committee of 20-25 members is appointed by the President-Elect for two-year terms. The full committee may meet in-person at the ICMA Annual Conference and quarterly by conference call. Subcommittees appointed by the committee chair, meet on an as needed basis to carry out the committee’s work plan. Members should have a demonstrated passion for sustainability and a willingness to contribute content and thought leadership to the profession. An effort will be made to maintain a diverse mix of demographics and career stages.
Task Force to Update and Revise the ICMA Guide to Breaking into Local Government
This Task Force is working on updating the ICMA Guide to Breaking into Local Government, created in 2013. A group of up to 30 members will be appointed with the goal of delivering its work product by September 2023. The task force will launch in person during the Austin/Travis County Conference and then meet virtually to complete its work. Volunteers should be able to commit time to attend planning meetings and spend the necessary time writing, researching, or editing for the updated guidebook in its current or a new form. Volunteers should be interested in supporting broadening the profession’s base of talent to include career changers at all career stages.
Veterans Committee
ICMA has a new initiative to support the transition of veterans from public service in the military to local government generally, and local government management. The purpose of this board is to advise staff on the development and improvement of programs and services aimed at improving preparation of the next generation of local government managers, and to build better relationships between the veteran community and local governments. Additionally, the committee will advise/support ICMA’s outreach efforts to the active-duty military on programs to help better develop partnerships between installations and communities, and ICMA’s professional development programs supporting installation commanders and deputy commanders.
ICMA’s Veterans Committee appointees should have expertise in current content areas, and in helping veterans succeed in their career transitions to local government and integration to ICMA should they enter the profession. Additionally, ICMA seeks representation among the membership from different regions, career positions or job functions and diversity of gender, race, and age. The ideal committee size will be 30-50 volunteers to assure strong meeting attendance and development of subcommittees to oversee specific priorities/programs. A military background is not required to serve on the committee, but ICMA seeks to have veterans occupy 50 percent of the committee roster. Expertise in current content areas, and in helping veterans succeed in their career transitions to local government is required.
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