On March 8, 2023, the third annual SheLeadsGov Virtual Forum, Balancing the Blur: Be a Leader in Your Personal and Professional Life, will provide a unique professional development opportunity to renew your vitality and steady your capacity. Developed by ICMA and the League of Women in Government, and sponsored by ICMA Strategic Partner Cigna, this event will inspire all local government professionals to gain control over the whirlwinds in their work and home life.

This virtual forum will provide you actionable insight from thought-provoking and motivational speakers, time to connect with your peers and colleagues, breaks to relax and clear your mind, and new tools and approaches to boost your vitality and balance the blur of daily life.

Registration is complimentary, courtesy of Cigna, and offers an extraordinary day for women and men of all ages and at all career stages the training to sharpen the focus on your personal and professional life. In the event you cannot attend live, session recordings will be available.

About this Conference

Whether you are a student, just entering the profession, or a seasoned manager, this event will inspire you to strengthen your vitality, and to take the lead in your personal and professional lives.

The keynote will inspire you to stop letting everyone else call the shots for you and stop achieving someone else’s version of success by ditching the doubt that clouds your path to success. A vitality workshop will provide you with ways to drive improved outcomes of health and work/life engagement. A panel focused on the importance of mentoring and coaching will leave you with the skills and tools to support yourself and each other.

Schedule at a Glance

Full Schedule

Welcome by Cigna and League of Women in Government

11:00 a.m. – 11:10 a.m. ET

Cigna Rep: Kimberly Funderburk, President, Government, Education and Health Systems, Cigna

League of Women in Government Rep: Kimberly Richardson, League of Women in Government President and Assistant City Manager, Peoria, Illinois

Be a Leader in your Personal and Professional Life

11:10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET

Moderator: Kimberly Funderburk, President, Government, Education and Health Systems, Cigna

Speakers:

• Tricia Johnson - Deputy County Manager, Seminole County, Florida
• Jennifer A. May - Deputy City Manager, City of Sugar Land, Texas
• Stacy Rodgers – County Administrative Officer, Baltimore County, Maryland 
• Natasha Colebrook - Williams, Assistant City Manager, City of Miami, Florida

Mindfulness Break

12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. ET

Enjoy one of the CLIMB podcasts by Cigna to learn simple methods to calm the mind and body and strengthen awareness.

Keynote Speaker: Nicole Lance, Ditch the Doubt

12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET

Speaker: Nicole Lance, Certified Life Coach and CEO, Lance Strategies

Ready to ditch the doubt and stop letting all those "shoulds" shape your decisions? Join us as author, life coach, and former assistant city manager Nicole Lance spells out specific strategies to help you courageously build a life and career you love.

Mindfulness Break

1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. ET

Box Breathing Technique led by Hayley Cornell Hughes MS, CN, LMHC, CWPC, Licensed Mental Health Clinician, Cigna

Learn a simple, easy breathing technique that helps return breathing to its normal rhythm. You can use this box breathing technique anywhere and can help reduce the stress response in the mind and body.

Workshop - Vitality: The Next Generation of Health 

1:15 p.m. – 1:55 p.m. ET

Speaker: Haley Hughes MS, CN, LMHC, CWPC, Licensed Mental Health Clinician, Cigna

Vitality is the capacity to live life with health, strength, and energy. Surveying more than 10,000 U.S. adults – the largest study of its kind ever conducted – Cigna examined the relationship between vitality, health, and productivity.

The experiences of the past few years significantly impacted health and well-being at home, at work, and in our communities. We have the opportunity to reset and pursue a more dynamic, substantive approach to whole-person health – one that focuses on vitality.

In this presentation, hear about the research and how the vitality index can help women in local government. Cigna will share their findings with respect to women as well as local government employees and offer ways to help you improve vitality in your personal and professional life.

Closing

1:55 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET

Meet the Speakers

Read Kimberly's biography

Kimberly Funderburk is Cigna’s President for Government, Education and Health Systems business and is responsible for the creation and execution of a national Government, Education and Health Systems strategy consistent with Cigna's overall value proposition.  Kimberly also serves as a strategic and consultative resource to Cigna’s local market account teams, ensuring that Cigna's strategies, solutions and service deliver differentiated value and address the specific and unique needs of each Government, Education and Health System client.  She has over 20+ years of experience in the healthcare industry, many of which were previously spent at Cigna in a number of positions that spanned across Operations and Sales. Prior to her return, she led the Sales and Health & Wellness teams at Anthem BCBSGA.  She has extensive Government and Education experience, having worked with numerous public entities, school systems, colleges and universities across the country during her time at Cigna and at Anthem BCBSGA.

Kimberly is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics. She lives in Atlanta and is passionately committed to community and health engagement and advocacy.

Read Kimberly's biography

Kimberly Richardson is the Assistant City Manager for the City of Peoria, IL, and has nearly two decades of experience working in local government within the city manager’s office. She holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University. Over several years, Kimberly has dedicated herself to advocating and supporting inclusive practices and policies that support women in the workplace, especially women of color. Kimberly is the current Board President for the League of Women in Government and served as Past President of the Legacy Project in Illinois.

Read Nicole's biography

Nicole Lance is a well-known executive coach and internationally certified life coach best known for working with individuals and teams who are ready to make courageous transformations. Having spent almost 13 years in the trenches of local government including work in budget and long-range financial planning and serving as Parks & Recreation Director and Public Works Director before wrapping up her career as an Assistant City Manager, Nicole now spends her time facilitating, speaking, training, and coaching. She is a co-founder of Arizona Women Leading Government and the Sustainable Cities Network in partnership with Arizona State University along with serving as a coach with the International City/County Management Association. She proudly serves on the board of Arizona’s Children Association, a statewide adoption/foster care/youth behavioral health services agency with a particular focus on LGBTQIA+ youth and is also a member of the Fighter Country Foundation, an organization supporting the active duty men, women, and families at Luke Air Force Base. Nicole is an Arizona native happily married to her husband, Sean, a high school teacher. She is a proud stepmom to a U.S. Navy Sailor and also a mom to a 4-year-old. Nicole spends her free time trying not to step on the Legos her daughter leaves dangerously hidden in the carpet.

Read Tricia's biography

Tricia Johnson was appointed to Deputy County Manager for Seminole County Government in 2019. Her position oversees all County external affairs activities, including Economic Development and CRA, Community Relations, Tourism, Media Relations, Communications, and Legislative Affairs. Tricia currently oversees the Fire , Leisure Services, and Resource Management/Budget departments in an interim capacity.

Prior to joining the Seminole County team, Tricia managed government and community affairs for Duke Energy’s north central region. Previously, she worked in a similar capacity for Orlando Health. Tricia earned her B.A. from Indiana University and her Master’s degree in Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. Before moving to Florida in 2001, Tricia served as a White House Correspondent for a Washington talk radio news bureau and as a D.C. Legislative Aide/Press Secretary for Congressman Ralph Regula (OH-16).

Read Stacy's biography

Stacy L. Rodgers has over 30 years of experience working at every level of government and non-profit organizations.  In March 2019, she became the first African-American and second woman appointed as the Baltimore County Administrative Officer (CAO).  She is responsible for directing the County’s day-to-day operations and providing oversight for the County’s $4 billion dollar operating budget.  

Previously, Stacy served as the Director of the Baltimore City Department of Social Services; Deputy Director of Program Operations for the District of Columbia’s Child and Family Services Agency; and Deputy Secretary for Programs for the Maryland State Department of Human Resources. Stacy also served as the Chief of Staff for the U.S. Social Security Administration during the Obama Administration.  

Stacy is a graduate of the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Leadership Institute, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators' (NFBPA) Mentor Program and Executive Leadership Institute.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Baltimore (UB). 

Stacy contributes her time, resources and talents to numerous faith-based and civic organizations. She also serves as National Vice President of the NFBPA and Chairperson of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the UB, School of Public Affairs.  

Recently, she was selected as one of the 2022 Maryland’s Top 100 Women business leaders and inducted as a 2022 National Academy of Public Administrators Fellow.

Read Jennifer's biography

Jennifer May began her full-time career in local government in 2006 at the City of Sugar Land. Since joining the City as a management assistant, Jennifer has served in a variety of progressively responsible roles – including Assistant to the City Manager, Director of Economic Development, Executive Director of Business & Governmental Affairs, and Assistant City Manager. Currently, as Deputy City Manager – a role she has held since 2021, Jennifer serves as the primary back-up to the City Manager, is responsible for leading the implementation of the City’s vision and mission, and has oversight of the Human Resources, Finance, Communications & Community Engagement, Aviation and Intergovernmental Relations departments and offices.

Additionally, Jennifer previously served as the City’s liaison for public-private partnerships such as the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land, Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land and Constellation Field – all of which are critical components of an important strategy to grow and expand the City’s economic base and quality of life through the development of unique regional destinations.

May holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from the University of Arkansas and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Kansas with a focus on urban/city management. She is a member of the Texas City Management Association and International City/County Management Association, as well as a past-president of the Urban Management Professionals of South East Texas.

Read Hayley's biography

Hayley is a Licensed Mental Health Clinician and Licensed Nutritionist. She is passionate about helping employers cultivate their unique cultures of well-being to improve the mental health and vitality of their employees. After working as a clinical therapist and nutritionist for several years, she realized one of the key barriers holding individuals back from improving their mental health was their work environment. She leverages her expertise in psychology, clinical research, nutrition, health benefits, public health, and corporate well-being to support diversified workforces across the country and at scale. Hayley truly believes in the connection between the mind and body, and has attended several trainings which focused on intuitive eating, nutrigenomics, mindfulness-based stress reduction and more.

Read Natasha's biography

Natasha Colebrook-Williams is a career public administrator with a professional history spanning over two decades in the areas of local government administration and non-profit organizational leadership. In January 2021, Colebrook-Williams was appointed Assistant City Manager for the city of Miami. As an Assistant City Manager, Colebrook-Williams serves as Chief of Operations, overseeing six multidisciplinary departments. She oversees Code Compliance, Human Services, General Services Administration, Innovation and Technology, Parks and Recreation, and Solid Waste.

Prior to rejoining the city of Miami, Colebrook-Williams spent 12 years in various city of North Miami leadership roles, most recently serving as Chief of Staff. In this capacity, she collaborated with the City Manager in overseeing all staff, supporting recruitment, training, retention, and talent management. Her duties also included development and implementation of policies directed by the City Council and City Manager, ensuring alignment of North Miami administrative regulations and city code of ordinances.

While employed by the city of North Miami, Colebrook-Williams simultaneously served for two years as Chief of Staff and Interim Director of the internationally renowned Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA). At MOCA, she managed a multi-million-dollar exhibition budget and successfully guided MOCA through the self-assessment for the American Alliance for Museums’ reaccreditation process.

Colebrook-Williams holds an impressive track record in governmental marketing, external communications, and community outreach and engagement from past roles as a city of North Miami Governmental Affairs Manager and Director of Community Relations for the YWCA of Greater Miami-Dade, Inc.

A native of Miami, Colebrook-Williams is a graduate of Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School. She earned a Master of Science in Integrated Communication: Advertising and Public Relations from Florida International University, and a Bachelor of Art in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Central Florida. Colebrook-Williams is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the International City/County Management Association, Miami-Dade City County Management Association, and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. She and her husband are the proud parents of two daughters.