By Al Vanderberg
The Experience Committee has been hard at work on several initiatives. We are close to rolling out a fillable template for MME members to enter biographical and other information that will be available in a directory on the MME website. This will help us know each other better and provide a resource including contact information for those comfortable with sharing it.
We are about to kick off the MME Award selection process so look for nomination forms soon in your email for the many awards that we present each year at the Winter Institute. I’ve found that in most cases managers are a humble bunch and don’t dwell on our many accomplishments but jump right into the next task ahead. I hope that we get many nominations submitted that reflect the excellent work that our membership showcases daily throughout Michigan!
We worked over the summer to gather updated information on the professional development programs that we provide scholarships for and will be highlighting those in future newsletters and with a call for applications. In fact, the committee is developing a session for the upcoming MME Conference on the professional development scholarship program and hopes to regenerate interest in attending these valuable trainings post-COVID. We are also getting closer to completion of an updated MME History in digital form and plan to hold a session on that too at the conference.
Congratulations to Curtis Holt on being awarded the John M. Patriarche Distinguished Service Award, MME’s highest honor at the recent MML Conference. Curtis started in this profession one year apart and he has been heavily involved in MME committees and activities, including service as MME President, throughout his illustrious career in local government management.
It was good to see many of you at Chris Burns visitation and funeral after her shocking death. Chris was a long and good friend to many of us and frequently assisted me as a guest lecturer in the GVSU undergrad and master’s classes that I taught and also as a frequent participant on the Women in Government panel at Girls State. Chris had a love and passion for the local government management profession and will be sorely missed.
Al Vanderberg
Chair, Experience Committee
Administrator/Controller, Kent County
Al Vanderberg serves as county administrator/controller of Kent County since August 2021. Previously, Al served as county administrator of Ottawa County; deputy county administrator/controller of Kent County; city manager of South Haven: and assistant city manager of Greenville. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Michigan and Master of Public Administration from Michigan State University. Al served as president of the Michigan Municipal Executives and Michigan Association of County Administrative Officials (MACAO), chair of the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council (GVMC) Board of Directors, and chair of the former West Michigan Strategic Alliance. He was appointed by Gov. Snyder to the Michigan Municipal Services Authority Board of Directors and Executive Committee and was appointed by Gov. Snyder and reappointed by Gov. Whitmer to the Michigan Child Lead Exposure Elimination Commission. Al is a member of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights Council for Government and Education on Equity and Inclusion, the NACo DEI Advisory Group, and the National Association of County Administrators Board of Directors. He is a member of the adjunct faculty of Grand Valley State University where he teaches in the undergraduate and masters programs. He also writes and speaks frequently on local government management topics and issues. He can be reached at al.vanderberg@kentcountymi.gov.