Every year, a unique group of city and county managers from throughout the U.S. and Canada meet to discuss local government issues and revive their spirituality.
Commonly called the LDS Public Manager Network, this group of Marriott School alumni, professors, students and friends attend the annual International City/County Management Association (IMCA) Conference and two additional meetings to share spiritual insights in public management.
Participants arrive on Sunday each year, with their families, and meet together in a fast and testimony meeting. On Tuesday night, the group assembles once again for a formal dinner and fireside, with speakers such as Elder Neal A. Maxwell and Bonner Ritchie, a Marriott School professor and integral player in Middle East peace negotiations.
Members of this network manage local government entities as large as Houston, Texas and as small as Lindon, Utah. Many serve or have served as members of bishoprics and stake presidencies for the LDS Church.
It is the association of men and women who have great capacity in public management and are deeply committed to developing strong moral ethics that brings this group together each year.
"They're a remarkable group of people," said Robert Parsons, director of the Romney Institute of Public Management at the Marriott School. "They've been a great support to the university and the Church, and they exemplify the mission and goals of these institutions, along with those of the Romney Institute."
Second-year students in the Marriott School's master of public administration program interested in careers in public management are also invited to attend the conference. At the conference, students are matched with professionals who act as mentors during the four-day event. Connecting with these professionals helps the students understand how to incorporate their faith into their careers.
"The feeling of these meetings was similar to those of a family reunion," commented Benjamin Mack, an MPA student from San Jose, Calif. "You could tell that a strong personal relationship with God was very important to these men and women. I realized that spiritual strength often comes in numbers and in the faith of those numbers."
Held every year since 1914, the next ICMA Conference is scheduled for Sept. 17-20, 2000 in Cincinnati/Hamilton County, Ohio. In 2001, the conference will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sept. 23-26.
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Writer: Peter Carr