Contact:

Jessica Weirauch
Michigan Municipal League
[email protected]
 734-669-6311

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 20, 2026

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Michigan Municipal Executives (MME) honored Joyce Parker with the John M. Patriarche Distinguished Service Award. The award was presented at the Michigan Municipal League's 2026 Convention in Traverse City on Wednesday, October 7. 

The Patriarche Award is the highest honor given by MME and is bestowed on longtime members of the association who have created an incredible impact as municipal leaders. Recipients are honored for their work to foster representative democracy, innovative programming and projects, and leadership through character and professionalism. 

An ICMA Credentialed Manager, Parker has previously worked as a city manager and township manager in Jackson, Saginaw, Inkster, and Buena Vista Charter Township. She also served as city manager in Elgin, Illinois. She served as deputy state treasurer with the State of Michigan Department of Treasury, where she was responsible for the Bureau of Local Government and School Services; State and Authority Finance; and the Michigan Infrastructure Council. She currently serves as president and CEO for The Municipal Group, which is a consulting firm that provides services to local government in the areas of personnel, labor relations, interim staffing, strategic planning and financial and operating assessments. 

"To receive this honor is a moment that leaves me incredibly humbled," said Parker in her acceptance speech. "When I look back at the giants of our profession who have stood where I am standing today—leaders who shaped our modern understanding of local administration—I am reminded that none of us walk this path alone. To be grouped alongside them is a highlight of my career that I will never forget."  

Parker has received numerous awards, including the Susan B. Anthony Award from the YMCA; the Spirit of Saginaw Award from the Saginaw Chamber of Commerce; the Jim Sinclair Award from the Michigan Municipal League; and the Outstanding Public Service Award from the Detroit Metropolitan Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration. 

"What really distinguishes Joyce isn't the communities she's served or these titles she's had or even the numerous awards; it's the connections she's made with people in these organizations," said MME President Melissa Marsh, who presented the award. "She's been a colleague, a mentor, a problem-solver and a resource to so many of us in Michigan local government, and that is really what the Patriarche Award represents: a career of service to our profession and a commitment to making local government stronger." 

Learn more about the award and its past winners here.

Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan's communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan's greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C. and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org. 

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