ICMA has recently awarded two Tranter-Leong Fellowships for global knowledge exchange in India and Indonesia. Interested in applying for the Tranter-Leong Fellowship? Read more about these upcoming fellowships and apply today!

The ICMA Global Engagement Committee recently selected Dawn Marie Buckland, executive director, Maricopa County Assessor’s Office, Arizona, USA, and Nina Vetter, city manager, Newport, Oregon, USA, as recipients of the Tranter-Leong Fellowship.

Indonesia

Dawn Marie Buckland will travel to Kota Tangerang, Indonesia, to launch a CityLinks™ partnership focused on inclusive education and digital transformation. She will conduct a municipal diagnostic evaluation on topics such as improving human resources capacity, fiscal incentives and disincentives for inclusive education, encouraging partnership and collaboration between private sector, government, and communities, and using digital transformation to strengthen monitoring and evaluation in city development.

ICMA works with The Asia Foundation (TAF) to implement the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded ERAT (Effective, Efficient, and Strong Governance) program in Indonesia, and Kota Tangerang is one of the 30 municipal districts part of the ERAT program. ICMA, ERAT program staff, and Kota Tangerang municipal staff look forward to this collaboration and to developing long-term partnerships between U.S. and Indonesian municipalities to achieve the ultimate goal of good governance and thriving communities worldwide.

When asked about her thoughts for the fellowship, Buckland said, “In the coming months, I will be headed to Kota Tangerang, Indonesia, to exchange ideas, best practices, and innovative approaches to exceptional local service delivery, thanks to the generous support of ICMA’s Tranter-Leong Fellowship. This award has provided me an opportunity to experience the similarities and differences of local government in a completely new environment, while simultaneously helping the Kota Tangerang community achieve goals of their own. I am excited to share my experiences with this lovely host community, and to bring back new ideas to mine.”

Yeti Rohaeti, head/director, Local Development Planning Board, Tangerang, Indonesia, shares Buckland’s sentiments and notes, “It is such an honor for us to have Dawn Marie Buckland work with our city, and we would like to thank ICMA for the support provided.  We look forward to her visit to Tangerang so we can start exchanging ideas and information regarding the best experiences and innovative approaches in local service delivery.”

India

Nina Vetter will travel to Ahmedabad, India, to work with the Urban Management Centre (UMC) on an analysis of the governance and management systems required as populations grow. She will partner with UMC to create operating procedures, adapted from U.S. service delivery models, and help prepare sample bylaws and other plans (heritage management, for example) for cities to help them adapt to the needs of growing populations.

ICMA has been working with UMC in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, for more than 25 years, and looks forward to the results of this fellowship. 

"I am excited to spend time with the Urban Management Centre to learn more about how the UMC provides support to Indian state and local governments and how UMC and local governments together are tackling significant challenges, like climate change. We can learn so much from our peers and I hope to be able to take some practical advice and best practices back to my community to assist us in serving the community while tackling major challenges," Vetter noted. 

“Nina’s experience working in cities in the U.S. and around the world will help us in drafting model citizen charters and public health bylaws that will help in creating standard systems for service delivery in Indian cities. Her expertise will also help in drafting implementation and enforcement guidelines for these initiatives. In addition, she will conduct internal training sessions on U.S. models of local government for UMC staff and collaborators,” said Meghna Malhotra, deputy executive director, UMC. 

About the Tranter-Leong Fellowship

The Tranter-Leong Fund was established at ICMA in 2017 through a generous donation from ICMA Life Member Revan A. F. Tranter, past ICMA president and first chair of the Global Engagement Committee (then called the International Committee), and Eugene Y. Leong. Each of these men served as executive director for the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) in California. Upon retirement from ABAG, they started a fund to support interns at ABAG, and the fund later evolved to the Tranter-Leong Fund at ICMA. Under ICMA’s stewardship, the two donors and the leadership of the Global Engagement Committee will use the funds to advance ICMA’s commitment to international professional development. 

Review the application requirements for the Tranter-Leong Fellowship and apply today!