I’ve just completed my first six months as the Institute for Local Government’s (ILG) new executive director and I’m excited for what the future holds.

Since I began my new role in late January, I’ve enjoyed meeting with our local government partners across the state and learning about some of the pressing issues facing your communities. I’ve heard about the incredible partnerships that have formed between ILG and California’s many counties, cities and special districts – and the positive impact those partnerships have made on so many people in our state.

ILG has a 65-year history of working successfully with California’s local governments on a wide range of important initiatives, and it’s worth noting here that CSAC is a parent organization to ILG. With the help of leaders like you, we’ve built flagship programs around Sustainability, Leadership & Governance, Youth & Civics Education and Public Engagement.

Because of you, the ILG legacy is strong and proud.

But in order to bring even greater value to those we serve, I know that ILG must continually evaluate its programs to ensure that we’re providing you the right kind of support and training to address your evolving needs.

We’ve recently embarked on a robust strategic planning effort that will help us chart a clear course for the next three to five years. We’re in the middle of that process now and expect to complete it by November 2019. But that doesn’t mean we’re waiting for the results.

The ILG team is still actively providing education, training, technical assistance and capacity building in our core program areas. If you don’t know exactly what that means, here are a few highlights from this year:

• Our Public Engagement team has already trained more than 120 local agency leaders in authentic and integrated public engagement using our TIERS framework. We’ll be hosting another TIERS workshop in San Diego on September 5–6.
• Our Youth & Civics Education team is hosting its first-annual Public Sector Workforce Summit where we’ll unveil the findings of a new study about the impact of the public sector and key barriers to public sector employment. The event will be held on August 29 in Sacramento and we’re excited to host hundreds of public and private sector leaders ready to tackle the critical issues related to filling the public workforce pipeline with the next generation of employees. 
• Our Leadership & Governance team has trained more than 850 local officials and staff in ethics and harassment prevention to ensure that good governance remains at the forefront for new and returning local leaders.
• And our Sustainability team has participated in dozens of committees and convenings to ensure that the local government perspective is considered during both planning and implementation of environmental policy. We are actively engaged in the Integrated Climate Adaptation Resilience Program (ICARP), the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative (SEEC) and the Commission on Catastrophic Wildfire and Recovery, just to name a few.

We’ve also begun some exciting new initiatives that complement our flagship programs.  For example, we’re expanding on important work with the Office of Emergency Services and other key stakeholders in disaster preparedness and emergency management to help make sure local agencies have the tailored resources they need to prepare, respond and recover from disasters.

But this is just a snapshot of our work.

We believe ILG exists to help local governments meet their goals. We want to help you — our partners — get the information and resources you need to build capacity, secure funding and continue to make a lasting, positive impact. 

My vision is for ILG to work even more closely with partners like CSAC to encourage the kind of collaboration that really moves the needle on critical issues facing California’s local governments.

Thank you for the warm welcome I’ve received in my first six months. I’m truly honored to join the ILG team and I’m committed to ensuring that ILG is always looking for new ways to help local governments tackle their current and emerging issues. Not only are we ready to help you navigate some of the challenges you might be facing today, we’re also ready to help you capitalize on new opportunities for tomorrow.

Together with our partners from CSAC, the League of California Cities and the Special Districts Association, the ILG team plans to do even more to promote good government at the local level for another 65 years.