The numbers have improved, but they need to be a lot better. It’s about organizational success.
By Pamela Antil (City of Santa Barbara, CA) and Tamara Letourneau (City of Costa Mesa, CA)
Reprinted from Governing.org
Back in 1974, the executive board of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) formed a task force to address the low number of female chief executives. The Task Force on Women in the Profession submitted its final report in 1976, and the numbers were eye-opening. At that time, women made up about half of the municipal government workforce but only 1.3 percent of chief administrative officer (CAO) positions. It shouldn’t be surprising that, as a result, many women, including those with advanced public-administration degrees, were leaving local government to seek more opportunity in the private sector. READ MORE