Palo Alto, CA -- Palo Alto City Manager Frank Benest was elected to serve on the Board of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). ICMA was established in 1914 to foster the professional development of local government executives.

"I think it's great that Frank has been chosen by his peers for this high profile position. It gives us a chance to learn so much from others, plus we also have the opportunity to use ICMA to showcase all the wonderful things that Palo Alto does," said Mayor Dena Mossar.

"It's absolutely true that Palo Alto is a very progressive city and has a lot to share when it comes to helping other communities," said Benest. "I'm looking forward to being able to compare how we do things with other cities across the globe."

Benest also plans to use his new position to help create a pipeline of future public service employees. "Not too many little kids grow up saying 'I want to be a city manager.' So we have to encourage our bright young people to look at public service as a career, and that's one of the major things I hope to promote as a board member."

Last fall Benest received the ICMA Credentialed Manager designation and is one of a group of only 282 local government management professionals to be credentialed through the ICMA Voluntary Credentialing Program. Last year, Benest served as President of the California City Managers' Association. He has 30 years of experience in local government management as well as a doctorate in management.

The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) promotes excellence in local government through professional management. ICMA provides an information clearinghouse, technical assistance, and training and professional development to nearly 8,000 chief appointed administrators, assistant administrators and other managers throughout the world. Its resources and services reach thousands of local, country and state government professionals.

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