Nominate a Colleague for the 2022 Leadership Trailblazer Award

Nominations for the 2022 Leadership Trailblazer Award are open! Read over the criteria and apply with the form below. 

Presented in partnership by the League of Women in Government (LWG) and Polco, the 2022 Leadership Trailblazer Award recognizes an accomplished woman in local government who has demonstrated excellence in leadership and has mentored and championed other women within the profession. 

To submit a nomination, fill out and submit the form below and show how your nominee makes an ideal candidate for the award. A panel of judges from LWG and Polco will review each nomination to select up to ten finalists and one winner.

The Leadership Trailblazer Award will be presented during the 2022 International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Annual Conference, September 17-21, in Columbus, Ohio. The winner will also be inducted in LWG Hall of Fame. 

Eligibility Criteria 

• Nomination forms must be submitted by a colleague. You cannot nominate yourself. 
• Nominees must hold a local government leadership position, such as City Manager/Administrator, County Manager/Administrator, Assistant City or County Manager, Deputy City or County Manager, Department Director etc. Elected officials and individuals in the police and fire professions are not eligible.
• Nominees must have served at least eight years in a leadership role.
• Past nominees are eligible to be nominated again.
• LWG board members are not eligible.

We strongly encourage nominees to attend the September ICMA conference, so the winner can receive her award in-person. 

Nomination Deadline - Extended!

August 5th, 2022 

Nominate a Colleague With This Form 

See Past Winners

2020: Vanessa Donovan Hale Assistant Town Administrator for Southborough, Mass.
2019: Lori Sassoon, Deputy City Manager, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
2018: Opal Mauldin-Jones, City Manager, City of Lancaster, Texas