ICMA'S Minorities in Management Program and African American City and County Managers

Rogers et al look back to the formation, operation, and evolution of International City-County Management Association's (ICMA) Minorities in Management job placement programming, which launched in 1970, and continued in various forms for several decades. The program was started with a modest grant from US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funding was part of HUD's 701 Planning Grant program that was overseen by Assistant Secretary Samuel Jackson, a prominent African American in the Nixon Administration and former civil rights activist. Initial partners included the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Howard University, and the University of Michigan.