Conversations with Courageous Leaders
Join a conversation about the Asian-American experience in local government with:
Panelists
PAT MARTEL, ICMA West Coast Regional director (moderator)
Pat Martel is a retired city manager who served five California local governments during her 38-year career, including Inglewood, San Francisco, Hayward, South San Francisco and 19 years as city manager and assistant city manager of Daly City. She has been actively engaged in supporting the local government management profession as a board director of the Institute for Local Government, California City Management Foundation, Women Leading Government and ICMA, for which she served as an Executive Board Regional Vice-President and the 102nd President. Pat was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration in 2014 in recognition of sustained exemplary contributions and commitment to improving public administration. Pat has served as ICMA West Coast Regional Director since July 2019.
MONA MIYASATO, County Executive, County of Santa Barbara, CA
Mona Miyasato is the County Executive Officer for the County of Santa Barbara, California, which consists of over 4,200 employees, 21 departments and an operating budget of over $1.2 billion. She has over 25 years experience in local government, serving in both cities and counties. She has held her current post since December 2013 and prior to that served as the Chief Assistant County Administrator for the County of Marin and Deputy City Manager for the City of Santa Monica. She currently sits as the county representative on the Cal-ICMA Board, and was one of the founding members of the California Network of Asian Public Administrators (Cal-NAPA) (which has now evolved into I-NAPA).
Mona received a Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Berkeley with a double major in Political Science and Economics. She received a Masters of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, with a focus on community and housing development. At the Kennedy School, she was on the editorial board and a founding member of the Asian American Policy Review.
CHARLES OZAKI, ICMA Senior Advisor, Colorado City and County Management Association
Charles received B.A. and M.P.A. degrees from the University of Colorado and attended the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, State and Local Government Senior Executives Program. Charles started as an intern and then served as Assistant to the Manager in Westminster, Colorado and then served as a Circuit Rider City manager for several towns in western Colorado. Charles joined Broomfield as Assistant City Manager in 1982, was promoted to Deputy City and County Manager in 2001, was appointed City and County Manager in May 2011, retired in August 2019 and began serving as a volunteer Senior Advisor for the Colorado City and County Management Association.
Charles served as the Secretary on the Board of the National Civic League and served on the Jury Panel for the All-America City Awards for several years. Charles also serves on the Board of Mile High United Way and the Sakura Foundation in Denver.
ED SHIKADA, ICMA Executive Board Member and I-NAPA Interim President
Ed Shikada has served as City of Palo Alto’s eighth City Manager since December 2018. With the City since early 2015, Shikada has also served in the dual role of Assistant City Manager and General Manager of the Utilities Department. During Shikada’s tenure with the City, he has led notable efforts such as fire services contract negotiation with Stanford University; sustainability initiatives on solar, electric vehicle charging, carbon neutral natural gas, and Utilities strategic planning; community planning for rail grade separations; and ongoing response to COVID-19, race and equity, economic distress, and other emergencies.
From 2003 to 2015, Shikada served the City of San Jose in a variety of increasingly senior positions, beginning as a Deputy City Manager prior to serving as City Manager, and was responsible for guiding the adaptation of a $2 billion investment in community facilities to the economic necessity of public private partnerships and evolving roles for the City. Prior to joining San Jose, Shikada held management positions at the City of Long Beach, including Director of Public Works, and at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Shikada is an executive board member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and interim president of the International Network of Asian Public Administrators (I-NAPA). He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Hawaii, a master’s degree in architecture and urban planning from UCLA, and certificates from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Stanford Center for Professional Development. Away from work, he serves in a few roles with the Boy Scouts of America.
KATHLEEN YANG-CLAYTON, Clinical Assistant Professor | Director of Civic Partnerships Department of Public Administration | College of Urban Planning and Public Administration | Research Fellow, Great Cities Institute | University of Illinois at Chicago
Dr. Kathleen Yang-Clayton, joined the faculty in the Department of Public Administration, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois-Chicago 3 years ago. Prior to joining UIC, she led voting rights and voter mobilization work for Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Chicago where she helped to pass landmark legislation expanding voting rights and strengthening election systems in Illinois. She is a Research Fellow at the Great Cities Institute and a member of several national initiatives that tie public administration and racial equity together from the Kettering Foundation, National League of Cities and the International City/County Management Association. Her current work focuses on the operationalization of racial equity practices inside of large public organizations that increase the public's trust in government and improves government performance, especially in historically marginalized communities.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. This event will be recorded. View List of Past Recordings