MEET THE 2024 LEADERSHIP TRAILBLAZER FINALIST Stephanie Lucash

Today’s Trailblazer: Stephanie Lucash

The League caught up with Trailblazer Finalist, Stephanie Lucash, Deputy City Manager, Kenmore, Washington to talk about being named a Leadership Trailblazer and having a career in public service:

Q: Congratulations on being named a finalist for the Leadership Trailblazer Award. What does it mean to you to be nominated?  

I am incredibly honored to be named a finalist for the Leadership Trailblazer Award.  What an outstanding group to be associated with!  I see this nomination as an acknowledgment of the contributions I have made over a 30-year public service career and a recognition of the strong relationships I have built along the way.

This nomination is especially meaningful because of the obstacles I have faced in my career and the work I have done to lift others up.  I have been a member of the Washington City/County Management Association (WCMA) for 21 years and have just concluded a banner year as WCMA President.  Back in 2004, I was a new Assistant City Manager who didn’t see other women like me thriving in our profession. I have worked hard to pave the way for women who will come after me – I don’t want them to feel the way I felt or face the obstacles I faced.  I am now Deputy City Manager at the City of Kenmore and tell my story to help others.  We are changing the face of local government leadership in Washington State through the Northwest Women’s Leadership Academy (NWWLA); I am proud to serve on the NWWLA Executive Board and as its Recruitment and Selection Committee Chair.  I see this nomination as a nod to all these efforts.

We don’t do this work to be recognized – we do this work because it is a call to service – but it is so rewarding to be seen.   

Q: What led you to a career in public service? 

A Girl Scout pizza party in fourth grade planted some of my first public service seeds. I arrived with my father, who was a quadriplegic and used a wheelchair, and discovered the pizza parlor was inaccessible – the only entrance had steps. I protested, and we moved the party to a wheelchair-accessible restaurant. Afterwards, I started noticing all the places without wheelchair ramps and began thinking about changes that were needed (this was years before the Americans with Disabilities Act).  I still think about that pizza party, and the fire it lit in me to make things better for those around me.

As a teen, I dreamt of becoming Cokie Roberts, traveling the world as a pioneering journalist.  What I was surprised to discover, as a young newspaper reporter covering the Washington State Legislature, was how inspired I was by public sector work.  I thought “I could write stories about government, or I could work in government and make a positive impact.” I chose the latter and have never looked back over my three-decade public service career.  

Q: Who were your mentor(s) or advocate(s) in your career? 

I have had several mentors who helped shape me into who I am today. I also have some fabulous colleagues who support me – we all need those champions.  One of my most important mentors is Marie Mosley. Then the City Manager of Kennewick, WA, Marie saw my potential and encouraged me to run for a seat on the Washington City/County Management Association (WCMA) board in 2019. I won that seat and was elected Vice President of the board two years later.

I have just finished my year as WCMA President; if not for Marie, I am not sure I would have stepped up to run for the board, let alone run for Vice President. My year as WCMA President was one of the most rewarding of my career and I am proud of all we accomplished. I want to say thank you to Marie for believing in me!  We all need people like Marie in our lives to encourage us to dream bigger.  I am doing my best to pay it forward and to live by Marie’s example.

Q: What is the most important lesson you learned while coming up in your career? 

I would say the most important lesson I learned while coming up in my career is to keep trying and to embrace setbacks and frustrations as learning opportunities. Sometimes when things are tough the best course of action is to simply focus on doing the next right thing. I would say that if you are not failing from time to time, you are probably not stretching yourself enough.  I have also learned not to pay too much attention to the critics and to maintain a high level of enthusiasm for public service through all the ups and downs that come with the job.

As women, many of us were conditioned to downplay our accomplishments and minimize our contributions. I am trying to model something different for the many women who are part of my network and orbit; another key lesson I have learned is to take credit for your hard work.  I encourage women to step into the light and to let their contributions shine.

Q: What advice do you have for women just beginning their careers who would like to be an executive in local government some day? 

I had a boss once tell me “if you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, take it” and I have found this to be great advice.  One of the keys to my success is that I have not been afraid to leave a comfortable position to try something new.  Several times, I have said yes to a new job, special project, or stretch assignment because I knew I could make a positive impact.  I have never regretted these decisions.  I would encourage women to look for and seize opportunities.

I would also tell early career women to believe in themselves and their abilities.  I would encourage them to apply for positions even if they don’t have every single experience listed in the job description, and to not be afraid of rejection.  It is a helpful experience to apply for jobs you don’t get – those are great opportunities to grow.

Finally, I would advise women early in their careers to find both a mentor and a coach.  I have an excellent coach who I call on from time to time and she has been invaluable in my journey.  I wish I had hired her earlier in my career!

Q: What do you hope to leave as your legacy in local government when your career comes to an end? 

I hope to see continued female participation and leadership in the Washington City/County Management Association (WCMA).  Under my leadership as the sixth female WCMA President since the association’s founding in 1960, the board became majority female for the first time in its history. I hope to see a long line of future female WCMA presidents follow in the years ahead.

I hope to see that my work with the Northwest Women’s Leadership Academy has helped to shape the lives of hundreds of participants and graduates who will comprise the next generation of female leaders in Washington State government, leading to gender parity in local government statewide and beyond.

I hope to see programs I had a hand in creating, including the brand-new Building Resilient Local Governments graduate certificate program at the University of Washington, going strong and continuing to train and prepare the next generation of public sector leaders.

I hope to see the leaders I am mentoring pay it forward and mentor others.  I hope to see team members, colleagues, graduate students, interns and so many others I have worked with thrive in their public sector careers.

But most of all, I would love to be remembered as someone who consistently lifted others up, worked hard to make an impact, and inspired the next generation of public leaders to aim higher and make their local communities better.