Congratulations to the Bush School Student Chapter of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA)! The Bush School Chapter was recently awarded the Best Chapter Event, winning not only a highlight in the ICMA’s newsletter but also a financial award.
The ICMA was founded in 1914 to advance professional local government through leadership, management, innovation, and ethics. Bush School students visited the City of Todd Mission, Texas, and spent time with Bush School alumnus Neal Wendele. The meeting enabled student chapter members to see firsthand rural governance in Texas and Todd Mission’s unique relationship to the Texas Renaissance Festival. The students received a tour of city hall and the volunteer fire station, as Wendele discussed his journey from graduate student to city manager and answered questions from students about local government job searches.
After the visit, Bush School Students stated, “We are incredibly grateful to Neal and our other wonderful city managers, mentors, and leaders in this profession that invest time into helping build the next generation of public servants. We found it incredibly fascinating to observe the day-to-day operation of a small town and see the charm and importance of rural America in our society.”
This trip was a valuable learning experience trip for all those who participated and led members Crayton Brubaker, Abigail Garcia, Alicia Ortman, Austin Bishop, and Kimberely Winarski to write “Rural and Fantastic Governance: An Afternoon in Todd Mission, Texas” and submit it to the ICMA. Their write-up led to their success in receiving the Best Chapter Event award.
Congratulations to our students! We are always excited to see the recognition of our students’ hard work.
