Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Fifteen public administrators from Pakistan, including eight women, will be visiting Massachusetts this fall.
The program is funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which awarded a grant to the Institute for Training and Development in Amherst. ITD is working with the MMA to provide training for 75 Pakistani public administrators on municipal government operations in the United States.
The State Department grant is funding visits by five groups of Pakistani public administrators. The first two groups visited in 2011. A third group visited in April, and the fourth group is in Massachusetts from Oct. 6 through Nov. 16.
After a week-long orientation at ITD, the Pakistani officials will travel to Boston to visit cultural attractions such as the John F. Kennedy Museum and to meet their hosts. The group will participate in two two-week internships and professional attachments to study the day-to-day operations, problem-solving strategies, professional management techniques, and civic engagement activities in place in the host cities and towns.
The participants will also visit New York City and conclude their time in the United States by meeting with State Department officials and key federal legislators in Washington, D.C.
The project’s goal is for participating Pakistanis and Americans to develop new professional skills and relationships through their interactions. One of the features of the program is to share best practices on transparency in government.
Wrap-up activities will include individual and group assessments on the internships and the preparation of action plans that the participants will implement upon their return home.
“This has been a very rewarding initiative,” said MMA Executive Director Geoffrey C. Beckwith. “Massachusetts communities have a long history of strong professional management and innovation, and municipal leaders will enjoy sharing their expertise with international partners who are devoted to building strong management systems in Pakistan. Building strong public partnerships knows no political boundaries, and I applaud our local officials for welcoming these distinguished visitors into their communities.”
Communities participating in this fourth session of the exchange program are: Boxford, Chelsea, Easton, Foxborough, Franklin, Hamilton, Norwood, Salem, Wenham and Westwood.
Previous host communities included Andover, Boston, Canton, Dedham, Great Barrington, Hadley, Lee, Lowell, Melrose, Natick, Needham, New Bedford, Newton, Pittsfield, Reading, Springfield, Somerville and Wellesley.