In January, ICMA President Tanya Ange announced that Julia D. Novak had been selected by a unanimous vote of the ICMA Executive Board of Directors to become the new ICMA chief executive officer and executive director. She is only the seventh individual in the association’s 110-year history to hold that title and the first woman to do so.

As an ICMA credentialed manager since 2002, Julia has served communities in multiple regions and in a variety of positions, including city manager and deputy city manager. As a successful business owner and senior executive, she applied her insights and entrepreneurial drive to build a thriving consulting practice where she and her team have become trusted advisors to counties, cities, villages, towns, townships, boroughs, and special districts with populations ranging from 8,000 to 1.3 million people. Her service extends internationally to include the United States, Iraq, China, and Africa. The ICMA Executive Board cited qualities including Julia’s integrity and deep commitment to the highest ideals of good local governance, in addition to her experience and expertise.

While she is well known by many ICMA members and partners, we were eager to hear directly from Julia, so we caught up with her just before she formally stepped into her new role.

You have had an amazing career. How do you think those experiences will inform your new role?

I have been fortunate to experience working in and for local government from a variety of perspectives. I think this provides a unique lens to understand the needs of our members. My time in direct service to local government provided me with opportunities to work in communities of different sizes in different states (Colorado, Massachusetts, Maryland, and New York, as well as internships in Virginia and Kansas). Each jurisdiction had its own adaptation of council-manager government. 

Our members work in a variety of contexts, and ICMA has to be there for all of them! As a consultant, my clients were “ our members” and I know how important it is to listen to their needs, develop an understanding for the context they are working in, and meet them where they are to support their organization. As executive director, I will lean on these lessons and the importance of listening to the needs of our members and figure out how best to support them as they serve their communities.

What do you see as your top priorities coming into ICMA?

Well, I have a lot to learn about the inner-workings of the organization I’m now leading, so that is certainly a priority, and I do plan to spend my first weeks on the job somewhat internally focused. But what I truly see as the priority for me and for ICMA is our members. I’m eager to engage with them and understand the diversity of their needs and how ICMA can stand with them as they serve their communities. I plan to attend the Local Government Reimagined Conferences and will look for other opportunities in the coming months to connect with members.

I told the board that I see my role in four “buckets”: support the board, engage with our members, connect with our partners, and lead the organization. There are, of course, a lot of layers in each of those buckets. I’m excited about each of these components, but I would say I am especially excited to “get out there” and meet with members, listen to their concerns, and work with the team at ICMA to support them. To add a level of transparency in the next year and beyond, I’ll be making my calendar available to ICMA staff and our members so they will know where I am and who I’m meeting with.

You know the ICMA membership and partners very well. What is it that attracted you to this role at this particular time?

I don’t think anyone necessarily “aspires” to be the executive director of ICMA, but when the opportunity came around I reflected on the experiences I have had in my career and believed they might translate well. I hadn’t thought about this prior to considering the role, but upon reflection, I have worked in every ICMA region, my experiences include working both in local government and consulting for local governments, and I have worked successfully in a virtual environment for the past 20 years.

I can imagine no greater honor and privilege than filling a role that in my career has been held by three men I admire: Bill Hansell, Bob O’Neil, and Marc Ott. I am so excited to serve my colleagues in this way and ensure ICMA is the special and meaningful organization I have held in esteem during my career.

You are making history as the first female ICMA executive director and have been a mentor and advocate for women in leading local government roles. In fact, there’s an article written by you in this issue of PM . Do you think ICMA could do more to support and advocate for women and other underrepresented groups for that matter?

Well, first of all, I’d be just as happy to be the second or third female executive director, and I look forward to the time when we don’t have to think in terms of “firsts.” I believe ICMA has to be there for all our members—what I hope women and other underrepresented groups find when they check into ICMA is a welcoming community where they feel like they belong!

Our membership reflects the diversity of not only the United States but around the world, and we want people to find the support, mentoring, tools, and experiences they need to support their individual journey. Everyone who serves in leadership roles in our communities are examples and role models for others. I definitely want women and other underrepresented groups to see themselves serving in leadership roles in communities. I take great pride in the people I have worked with over the years that are now leading cities and counties and special districts. It’s really amazing to see.

It is something unique about professional local government that we all root for one another, learn from one another, and thrive together. I’ve also enjoyed connecting with professionals from the many disciplines that make up our local government organizations. The work we did with Local Government 2030 was not just about the initiatives that came out of it, but about developing the collaborative, cross-disciplinary connection among the participants—leaders who are going to address the challenges of the future.

The “I” in ICMA has been around since 1924. How do you believe ICMA could become more relevant to local leaders throughout the world?

There are two components to the international work at ICMA: the relationships with affiliates and partners and the development work we do that strengthens democracy and is a vital part of our business model. I hope our partners will experience ICMA as open to listening and learning as we are to teaching and sharing. I had an amazing opportunity to teach strategic planning to local leaders in Baghdad, Iraq, and found that the concerns they expressed were nearly identical to what their counterparts in the United States would say—striving for safe places to raise families.

Together we can connect good ideas, wherever they happen, to a worldwide network committed to creating thriving communities. Being part of that is very exciting to me and I look forward to connecting with our partners and adding value to our international work.

How do you envision the organization evolving over the next few years?

It is time for a new strategic plan to which our members can contribute and that our executive board will use to shape their priorities as they provide strategic direction to ICMA. Having worked on a few hundred strategic plans over the years, I’m excited to be in a position to fully participate in this process. The plan will provide guidance to the ICMA organization on how best to execute on the members’ vision for our future and the board’s priorities for the organization. This level of involvement by the board with input from members will result in a high degree of ownership, which ultimately leads to more successful outcomes.

Upon beginning any new career journey, we’re advised to “begin with the end in mind.” What would you like your legacy to be?

I would like to be thought of as a bridge builder bringing together members, the board, ICMA staff, our partners, and our affiliates. I would also like to think that ICMA can be a good home for individuals from a wide range of segments who will see value in our organization—from parks and recreation, public safety, and community relations to board members and others from special districts since they too are responsible for delivering services to communities.

Ultimately, I’d like to leave our members with a high-performing organization that understands their needs, provides impactful resources and opportunities to connect with others, nurtures their career development, and celebrates the important work they do. That’s one reason why I’m really happy that we are bringing back Leadership ICMA. Members can look to ICMA to provide those career-defining experiences that they may not be able to get on the job or elsewhere. My hope is that ICMA will be the organization that local government professionals want to belong to, engage with, and support.

There are so many challenges on the horizon—the proposed federal budget cuts to name just one. What do you see as the most daunting of these and what are your thoughts on addressing them?

What is daunting is that there is a daunting challenge within each community that is nuanced and multifaceted; and ICMA, and our members, are working in an environment with a lot of uncertainty about how various levels of government will support one another moving forward.

The joy of being a professional local government manager is the diversity of issues you get to deal with—and ICMA needs to stand with our members as they do this hard work. I am certainly concerned about the financial impact that changes in funding streams will have for our members and for our organization. We have to be mindful of that and ensure that we serve our members despite fiscal constraints, just like they will be expected to serve their communities with declining resources.

ICMA just celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Code of Ethics, which is core to our identity. What role has the Code 

played in your career?

The Code of Ethics is foundational to professional local government. Its existence is what makes us professionals. So, our commitment to the Code of Ethics must be part of how we serve our communities. It has been “true north” for me as a professional and frankly guided me as both manager and consultant. Political neutrality, for example, is key and has allowed me to be principled in doing the jobs I have been hired to do which is to serve the officials who were elected by the community.

I am glad that our membership embarked on a thorough review of the Code of Ethics and as we move into the second hundred years, we must remember that our commitment to the Code of Ethics allows us to stand true and provide equitable and efficient services to the communities we serve.

How would you describe your leadership style?

I think about my leadership style in terms of how people experience working with me. As executive director, I hope that our members experience me as someone they can relate to—and that I work hard to understand their needs.

For the ICMA organization, I hope they will experience me as a leader that cares about the work they do and one who works to create an environment and organizational culture that is collaborative and committed to excellence. I told the board that I want ICMA to be excellent, collaborative, trusted, and respected—and I hope to embody each of those words as I lead the organization.