Student Chapter of International City/County Management Association Established

ICMA student chapter logo

UMass Amherst has established a student chapter of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), a professional group that promotes good governance and public policy priorities that affect local government. The campus chapter will be headquartered at the School of Public Policy (SPP).

ICMA student chapters introduce students to the local government management profession and to the organization’s members and resources. Chapters hold regular meetings and organize activities such as talks, panels, webinars and group field projects.

The ICMA student chapter is open to all UMass Amherst students, both graduate and undergraduate, with no dues. All chapter members are eligible for free student membership in ICMA and free registration at the organization’s annual conference, the largest gathering of local government professionals in the world. The 2019 conference takes place Oct. 20-23 in Nashville.

Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman serves as the chapter’s local government professional mentor, while Satu Zoller, associate director at SPP, is the faculty advisor. Brianna Sunryd, a student in SPP’s master of public policy and administration program and communications manager for the Town of Amherst, is the chapter president.

Students interested in joining the ICMA chapter can learn more at two upcoming campus events:

  • On Wednesday, Nov. 14, the chapter will have an informational table at the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association’s (MMMA) Women Leading Government meeting from 3-6:30 p.m. in Old Chapel. (The MMMA meeting is free and open to all, although registration is required.)
  • On Friday, Nov. 16, from 8:30-10 a.m., Bockelman and Sunryd will host a “Cuppa Joe” event at the Post & Bean Café at the John W. Olver Design Building, where they will be available to talk about ICMA as well as Amherst municipal matters.

For more information, email the chapter at icma@umass.edu .