2024 Award Recipients

2023-2024 MME Award Schedule/Nomination Process

 

Emerging Leader Award – New!

This award recognizes a top performer who has served at least three years in the profession in one or more of the following roles: Management Analyst, Management Assistant, Assistant to the City Manager/Administrator, Assistant City Manager/Administrator, or Deputy City Manager/Administrator and has been identified by their organization as a dynamic early career leader whose skills and abilities set them apart and they are seen as having great future potential in our profession.

Download nomination form.

 

Advancing Women in Local Government Leadership Award – New!

This award recognizes MME professionals that have not only exhibited excellence in municipal management and leadership but also made a difference in enhancing career opportunities for women in the local government management profession.

Download nomination form.

 

Innovation Award

This award recognizes MME professionals who have developed innovative solutions to providing services to their community. The innovation should have increased the level or quality of service offered and at a sustainable cost for the community to continue the service for the foreseeable future.

Download nomination form.

 

Community Leadership Award

This award recognizes MME professionals that have helped guide their community through a significant event that resulted in a favorable outcome. The event should have been a significant concern for the majority of the citizens and the solution a clear beneficial outcome to the community.

Download nomination form.

 

Mentoring Award

This award recognizes the MME professional who has made significant contributions in the development of new talent and/or who has designed and implemented outstanding career development programs for local government employees.

Download nomination form.

 

New Executive Achievement Award

This award recognizes new municipal executives to the profession – anyone from 1-5 years of experience. This application should express how the executive came into the profession and any challenges the new executive faced and navigated when beginning his/her career and recent accomplishments.

Download nomination form.

 

Executive of the Year Award

This award recognizes the MME professional that has made significant contributions to the field of local government management over the past 12 months.

Download nomination form.

 

Outstanding Assistant Award

This award recognizes the deputy or assistant manager or administrator that has demonstrated outstanding performance, particularly with a special project or during a period of unique conditions and circumstances.

Download nomination form.

 

DEI Leadership Award

This award recognizes MME professionals that have led, implemented, and supported diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in their organizations and communities that have improved the lives and experience of people across the range of human differences, i.e. race, gender, age, sexual preference, nationality, ethnicity, etc.

Download nomination form.

 

John M. Patriarche Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor the association bestows. It honors members of the Michigan Municipal Executives association who have been members of the association for a significant number of years. Those honored have worked consistently and effectively to foster representative democracy by enhancing the effectiveness of local elected officials through innovative programs, projects, and by consistency in providing excellence in character and professionalism. A nominee must have been a member of the MME or its predecessors for a significant number of years.

Download nomination form.

 

2023: Curtis Holt, Retired Wyoming City Manager

 

Curtis Holt earned his Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Master of Public Administration from Grand Valley State University. Curtis started his local government career as an intern in his hometown of Spring Lake, before serving as the assistant city manager in Cedar Springs and later as city manager in Otsego. He finally found his way to Wyoming, where he first served as deputy city manager and later moved into the city manager role – a position he held for nearly 23 years until his retirement earlier this year.

Holt has been an active member of both ICMA and MME, having previously served on the MME Board and as the association President 2012 – 2013. Holt has also served on various boards, including the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority, International City/County Manager Association, Wyoming Chamber of Commerce and many others.

Holt is currently an executive recruiter for the Michigan Municipal League, where he continues to use his experience and skills to shape communities around Michigan.

In the press release about Holt getting this award, MME President Elect Christian Wuerth, village manager for the Village of Milford, said, “Curtis has been a champion for the council-manager form of government and an advocate for strong local government leadership. He is truly deserving of this award for all that he has achieved on behalf of the communities he has served over his nearly 40-year career in local government. Curtis, congratulations on a long and distinguished career in local government and for this well-deserved honor.”


 Past Recipients: