Women in Municipal Government Leadership Award

Each year, Women in Municipal Government (WIMG) and the National League of Cities (NLC) recognize an individual for initiating creative and successful programs in municipal government that help their community, particularly if the leadership serves as a specific mentoring model for future female leaders. City staff, constituents, and fellow elected officials are encouraged to nominate a leader who fits this description! 

Our goal is to promote a greater representation of women in local government and to encourage more women to run for elected municipal office. 

Eligibility & Criteria

• Nominee must be a female elected official who has demonstrated excellence in leadership and worked to help others strive to achieve similar goals;
• Nominee must be a female elected official who has been actively involved with the National League of Cities or a state municipal league;
• Nominee must be a local elected female official from an NLC member city;
• Nominee must have served in a municipal elected office for at least two years;
• Nominee must be nominated by a colleague, constituent, or organization, or may self-nominate;
• Nominee must be in a municipal elected office through December 31, 2024, and registered for this year’s NLC City Summit.

2024 Nominations are now open! The deadline has been extended through Friday, October 4, 2024.

Past winners of the WIMG leadership award include:

• 2023 | Mayor Mary McComber, Oak Park Heights, MN
• 2022 | Councilmember Corina Lopez, San Leandro, CA
• 2021 | Chauna Banks, Councilmember, Baton Rouge, LA
• 2020 | Laurie-Anne Sayles, Council Vice President, Gaithersburg, MD
• 2019 | Kathy Maness, Councilmember, Lexington, SC
• 2018 | Elizabeth Carr-Hurst, Mayor, Fairburn, GA
• 2016 | Carolyn H. Bell, Mayor Pro Tem, Savannah, GA
• 2015 | Hazel Livingston, Mayor Pro Tem, Lexington, SC