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Do you know a professional within your organization or someone you collaborate with in another local government that demonstrates professional excellence and leadership in their organization and their community? Don’t miss this opportunity to recognize an emerging leader! LGHN is now accepting applications for the 2022 Emerging Leader Award beginning February 7 through April 15, 2022.
Feel free to review and complete the application here or on our website. Direction questions and comments to Christine Butterfield at cbutterfield@lghn.org.
Emerging Leaders Award and Scholarship
Annually, the Local Government Hispanic Network recognizes individuals who are emerging leaders in local government by demonstrating professional excellence and leadership skills in their organization and their community. LGHN’s goal is to identify and support professionals who have the ability to rise to leadership positions in local government and have demonstrated interest in improving minority and/or disadvantaged communities. The nomination process beings in the spring of each year and awards are. Presented at the LGHN biennial conference or the annual dinner at the ICMA conference. Awardees receive complimentary registration and a stipend to assist with travel costs.
Emerging Leader Award Recipients
Joel D. Valdez Legacy Award Recipients
The Local Government Hispanic Network (LGHN) established an award in honor of Joel Valdez, the first Hispanic manager of a large city and long-time city manager for Tucson, Arizona. Joel worked in local government for 30 years and retired after 16 years as city manager of Tucson, the longest tenured city manager in the city’s history. He served on the ICMA board of directors in 1981-1983. After retiring, he went on to serve as Senior Vice President for Business at the University of Arizona for 20 years. The University of Arizona Foundation Board of Trustees donated $40,000 to establish the Joel D. Valdez Endowment in American Governance. Joel still resides in Tucson.
The LGHN of today is the result of the leadership efforts of Mr. Valdez who in the 1970’s worked with ICMA and six other Hispanic city management professionals to establish the Hispanic Emphasis Program and the Hispanic Field Service Program. The two programs were designed to increase the participation of Hispanics in local government via a $3.5 million scholarship program and a HUD funded regional analysis study that researched Hispanic issues in local government across the country. Joel was a role model and mentor to many young professionals in public administration and the IHN founders wish to honor Joel’s contributions to the profession and his distinguished career with this award.
The award is be given to a local government manager who is retired from the profession, has a minimum of 25 years of local government experience, and has made an outstanding contribution to furthering Hispanics in the local government management profession. A bust of Joel’s image is at the ICMA offices in Washington D. C.