Contact:
Matt Bach
Michigan Municipal League
[email protected], 734.669.6317

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 21, 2023

Lisa Hicks-Clayton Attains Level 4 in Elected Officials Academy

LANSING, Mich. – An official from the City of Dearborn Heights was honored recently for completing all four levels of the Michigan Municipal League’s Elected Officials Academy (EOA).

Dearborn Heights Treasurer Lisa Hicks-Clayton received the Ambassador Award—the highest level possible in the EOA program—during the League’s CapCon in Lansing April 18-19. She is now among just a handful individuals who have achieved all four levels of the program.

“Congratulations to Lisa Hicks-Clayton for being just the 13th local official to earn the League’s Ambassador Award,” said League Board President Barbara Ziarko, Sterling Heights Councilmember. “Lisa has been a tremendous supporter of the League and an active participant in many League programs over the years. Attaining the highest level of the League’s EOA program demonstrates her commitment to being the best public servant to her community and to the state. This is a tremendous achievement that she has accomplished.”

Now in its 25th year, the Elected Officials Academy is an ongoing four-level program that educates and recognizes elected officials across the state for their dedication to becoming as professional and knowledgeable as possible in the role of public servant. The Elected Officials Academy, a voluntary education and recognition program, was created in 1997 by a board of elected officials working with League staff.

“The Elected Officials Academy is an outstanding program that helps local officials improve their understanding of municipal governance which allows them to better serve their communities and constituents. We are thankful to have so many dedicated public servants who have participated in the program this year,” Ziarko said.

As a Level Four Ambassador Award graduate, Hicks-Clayton completed 150 academy credits. She was honored at the Michigan Municipal League’s 2023 CapCon in Lansing along with the 17 graduates from the other three levels of the EOA program.

Hicks-Clayton said getting to Level 4 was not easy, but well worth the effort.

“To be just one of 13 people to attain this level is truly humbling,” Hicks-Clayton said. “We need to encourage others to do the program because every single aspect of this program has value. Every bit of it – whether it’s the advocacy, or speaking to the media, or just basic leadership. The knowledge you gain from this program is just amazing. I’m a lifelong learner and one thing I say is, you always invest in yourself for yourself.”

Photos of the EOA graduates getting their certificates during the MML’s CapCon can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAxNaR.

For additional information, contact the League’s Matt Bach, assistant director of communications and media, at (810) 874-1073 (cell) and [email protected].

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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