Why would someone from San Diego – a land with 70 miles of coastline and a near-perfect Mediterranean climate – move across the country to a place with snow and ice? In short, city management, and that’s what the 100th ICMA Conference in Charlotte, NC was all about.

The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) is a professional organization where local public administrators can receive training and education to help advance their careers. This past weekend, thirteen Maxwell students attended the ICMA Conference to learn and network for their own futures in local government.

Highlights included attending a session led by Maxwell alum and retired Pinellas County Administrator Bob LaSala. The session was titled, “Leadership and Management in a (Permanent) Crisis”; it was highly interactive with not only Bob but other city and county managers from across the country. Another spotlight was the Maxwell Alumni Lunch where we met and had the opportunity to share our career goals related to local government. Alumni listened intently and provided helpful feedback as we discussed career tracks, geographic locations, and timetables for applying to jobs.

When the Department of Public Affairs & International Relations, Office of Alumni Relations, and Center for Career Development says Maxwell alumni are engaged, I can confirm from personal experience that they are indeed extremely engaged and desire to see students succeed post-graduation.

On behalf of Courtney Adrian, Allison Crerand, Emma Ertinger, Yolanda Gonzalez, Kyra Hamann, Candace Johnson, Mariko Mori, Taylor Pair, Taapsi Rachandani, Justin Smith, Amy Snider, and Linda Sok, thank you to our distinguished alumni who made this trip a reality and worthwhile.

I certainly look forward to returning to a future ICMA Conference one day and meeting MPA students who will be the best and the brightest from Maxwell.

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