Discover how innovation, resilience, and public service can strengthen your leadership and expand your impact.

If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is really true, there would be little hope of advance. 
Orville Wright
 

The most effective leaders do more than respond to change—they help create it. During this immersive three-day experience in Dayton, you will examine how inventors, civic leaders, and community builders turned challenges into opportunities and bold ideas into lasting progress. From the birth of aviation to the emergence of the council-manager form of government, Dayton’s story offers enduring lessons in adaptability, collaboration, vision, and innovative leadership.
You will connect these lessons to the challenges facing local governments today and leave with fresh perspectives and practical strategies for leading organizations, strengthening communities, and preparing for the future.

What to Expect: 

Your leadership journey will bring Dayton’s legacy to life through visits to historic sites, facilitated discussions, and experiential learning activities. You will examine how inventors, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders used bold decision-making, adaptive thinking, and a commitment to public service to influence both their community and the local government profession. Each experience will help you translate historic lessons into practical approaches to organizational leadership, community engagement, and local government effectiveness.

What You Will Learn:

During this dynamic three-day leadership experience, you will examine how Dayton’s innovators, civic reformers, and community leaders responded to disruption, embraced change, and created lasting impact. You will then apply those lessons to the rapidly evolving challenges facing local government leaders today.

• Connect Innovation and Leadership: Examine the decisions and leadership practices that fueled groundbreaking advancements in aviation, industry, and public administration. Discover how the same qualities that enabled Dayton's leaders to reimagine what was possible can help local government professionals address today's complex organizational and community challenges.
• Strengthen Your Capacity to Lead Change: Explore how leaders navigated uncertainty, setbacks, and transformation during pivotal moments in Dayton's history, from the aftermath of the 1913 flood to the emergence of new ideas that reshaped industries and communities. Learn practical strategies for fostering resilience, adaptability, and innovation within your own organization.
• Enhance Self-Awareness: Reflect on your individual leadership approach through guided discussions, experiential learning, and peer engagement. Identify your strengths, recognize opportunities for growth, and develop a deeper understanding of how your leadership style influences organizational culture, decision-making, and community outcomes.
• Advance Professional Local Government Leadership: Explore the origins of the council-manager form of government and the enduring principles of professional management, stewardship, ethics, and public service. Consider how these foundational concepts continue to shape effective local government leadership and community trust today.
• Cultivate a Leadership Network:  Connect with fellow ICMA leaders from across the country to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and explore emerging opportunities in local government. Build lasting relationships and a professional network that will continue to support your growth long after the program concludes.

Who Should Attend: 

The ICMA Dayton Leadership Institute is designed for local government executives, aspiring managers, and encore professionals seeking their next opportunity to grow, contribute, and lead. It is ideal for professionals who are committed to public service and want to strengthen their capacity to guide organizations and communities through change.

As the birthplace of the council-manager movement that helped shape the local government profession, Dayton provides a unique setting for leaders to reflect on the principles of innovation, stewardship, resilience, and effective management. Participants will leave with new perspectives, stronger professional connections, and practical tools for leading communities through change.

Advance your leadership journey through the ICMA Dayton Leadership Institute. Enroll today .

This institute can help fulfill your annual professional development requirements as outlined in the guidelines for Tenet 8 of the ICMA Code of Ethics.