As the Director for ICMA International Programs, my work has taken me globe-trotting over the past several weeks with three back-to-back trips – and several time zones!  First, I was invited to make a presentation to the ICMA Executive Board in Austin, Texas.  The Board, of course, has been briefed regularly on the growth of the International program in financial terms; this time, the Executive Director, Bob O’Neill, wanted to give the Board members a better sense of our programs “on-the-ground” and a taste of what we are really accomplishing.  Barbara Moore, the International team Marketing and Communications liaison, compiled a gallery of wonderful photos from our projects around the world displaying all aspects of our work from infrastructure projects in Afghanistan to local economic development projects in Bulgaria to municipal finance in Lebanon to public safety in Central America to budget planning in Indonesia, etc. etc. etc.! You get the idea!  This visual presentation stimulated the Board into animated and insightful discussion and we went well over the time allotted for the session.  In fact, it was suggested that we consider producing a YouTube version of the presentation for Board members to show at State affiliate meetings to further orient the ICMA membership to our exciting work and the opportunities we can provide to the members to get involved with us.  Later, at the Board dinner it was uplifting to witness the huge cardboard check the Texas State Association used as a prop to present Bob (on his birthday!) with a large contribution to the ICMA Value of the Profession campaign. I made a quick tour of the Texas State House, Texas History Museum and the LBJ Presidential library to round out my Austin visit.

The very next day after returning home I was off to Kabul via Dubai. The weather was still quite Wintry, the streets rivulets of mud and traffic snarled as code green had gone to code yellow and police checks slowed traffic throughout the city.  My last visit to Kabul was in October 2008 when the ICMA country portfolio was smaller and we were just envisioning several of the current programs.  Security procedures were about the same with the exception that I was now moving in armored vehicles and on this trip as on the last, I was able to visit all the ICMA staff in our various projects which now include RAMP UP (Local Government), CAWSA (Water and Sewer) and the Capacity Building and Change Management Program for MAIL (the Ministry of Agriculture).  I met individually with all of our ICMA expatriate staff now numbering about ten brave souls, had lunch interacting with the local CAWSA staff and addressed the large combined ICMA-DAI RAMP UP staff together with Betsy Marcotte, Senior Vice-President of DAI, with whom we are partnering on that project.  I met with the Deputy Minister of Agriculture to discuss the Change Management program ICMA is managing for his Ministry.  Lastly, I met with our USAID and USDA clients to make sure we are being responsive to their expectations of us.  A visit to Afghanistan is always challenging given the security situation and the austere environment of a war zone.  Nevertheless, I got out to several delightful restaurants and took pleasure in observing how our expat staff creates a vibrant life for themselves - outside the compound - socializing with friends and even going Salsa and Tango dancing after work at different secure locations around town.  Mostly, I come away with renewed admiration for our local Afghan staff members who are making such major contributions to advancing the status of local government in their country.

After five days back at home and in the office, I took off once again to Cardiff, Wales, to represent ICMA at the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) conference held every two years in a different Commonwealth country – the last in the Bahamas, the next in Uganda.  I was one of very few conference attendees not from one of the 54 Commonwealth countries – almost all of which were represented in Cardiff.  At a colloquium preceding the conference, I presented the recent ICMA White Paper on Water and Sanitation, which was quite well received given its very hands-on, practical approaches to the salient topic. I attended the full day meeting of the ICMA International Committee, which also preceded the conference and shared the presentation I had made to the ICMA Executive Board.  The Committee members, following their meeting, partook of the main conference proceedings. The central theme of the CLGF conference was “Energizing Local Economies: Partnerships for Prosperous Communities” and discussion of the topic was very rich coming from such a diverse spectrum of countries and their local government representatives.  The professional networking opportunities were plentiful, particularly, as several of the ICMA international affiliates attend this conference as well.  The Cardiff Council, with sponsorship support from Dell/Microsoft Corp. and Tata Consultancy Services, rolled out the red carpet for the conference attendees and hosted receptions and musical entertainment in municipal facilities around the city, including the Wales Millennium Center on Cardiff Bay and the world class National Museum of Wales.  Several study tours were arranged for the attendees to observe a variety of redevelopment and regeneration projects.  The conference itself was held in the 100+ year old magnificent City Hall.  And, there is an imposing castle built on ancient Roman ruins smack in the middle of the city!  Cardiff is a wonderful tourist destination and I certainly recommend a visit; the only downside of the trip was not being able to fit in a round of golf on the beckoning Wales links . . .

Check out the CLGF web-site and, while you’re at it, the ICMA International site and our associated Knowledge Network!