Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Clarence Anthony, CEO and executive director of the NLC (left), and Marc Ott, CEO and executive director of the ICMA (right) will participate in a fireside chat during the closing session of the MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show.
The leaders of the National League of Cities and the International City/County Management Association will participate in a fireside chat about diversity, equity and inclusion during the closing session of the MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show on Saturday, Jan. 21.
Clarence Anthony, CEO and executive director of the NLC, and Marc Ott, CEO and executive director of the ICMA, will talk about the challenges and opportunities for building diverse, equitable and inclusive communities. As Black men, they will also offer personal insights from their experiences addressing racism in their work and lives.
The speakers will be able to draw from their extensive backgrounds in leading communities at the ground level and from their time advocating for local governments and officials at the national and international levels.
Anthony has been the NLC’s executive director since 2013. He previously served for 24 years as the mayor of South Bay, Florida, having been first elected at the age of 24. He became president of the Florida League of Cities in 1995, and of the NLC in 1999. He was also part of the founding group of Palm Beach County Black Elected Officials and Discover Palm Beach County, the tourism development council. He served as first vice president of the International Union of Local Authorities.
Following his time as mayor, Anthony represented local governments as founding treasurer and interim manager of United Cities and Local Governments. He later founded Anthony Government Solutions, a firm focused on strategic visioning, policy development and management restructuring for government and private sector organizations. Anthony has a master’s degree in public administration, with a specialization in city growth management policy, from Florida Atlantic University. In 2020, he received the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Marks of Excellence Award.
Ott has been leading the ICMA for the past six years. Previously, he served for almost nine years as city manager of Austin, Texas; six years as assistant city manager in Fort Worth, Texas; four years as city administrator in Rochester Hills, Michigan; seven years as assistant city manager, deputy city manager and then city manager in Kalamazoo, Michigan; and eight years in leadership and support roles in Grand Rapids and in Jackson, Michigan.
Ott has a bachelor’s degree in management, with a concentration in economics, and a master’s degree in public administration, both from Oakland University in Michigan. He has also completed the Senior Executives Program in State and Local Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Ott has won numerous awards for his service, including the ICMA’s Award for Career Excellence. The National Forum for Black Public Administrators has honored him with a Marks of Excellence Award and its 2020 Hall of Fame Award.