The city of Santa Clarita is proud to announce that Jerrid McKenna, Assistant to the City Manager, was honored by ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, as the recipient of the organization’s Early Career Leadership Award in Memory of William H. Hansell Jr.

Established in memory of the former ICMA Executive Director, this award recognizes an outstanding early-career local government professional who has demonstrated leadership, competency and commitment to local government as a profession.

As the recipient of ICMA’s Early Career Leadership Award in 2019, McKenna was formally honored during a Celebration of Service to the Profession as part of ICMA’s Annual Conference at the Music City Center in Nashville, TN in October 2019. He was recognized by the Santa Clarita City Council for this accomplishment during the Council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, January 14, 2020.

“I am honored to serve as the Assistant to the City Manager for a truly inspiring organization, full of dedicated employees and amazing leadership in my hometown, which serves more than 200,000 residents every day,” said McKenna. “Being recognized for this prestigious award by ICMA has been an inspiring experience and a testament to the culture of excellence that has been established by our City Council, which supports creativity to reach new heights in public service.”

Trusted with some of the top priorities in the organization, McKenna has met each challenge – bringing energy, positivity and ambition to the City of Santa Clarita. He has taken the lead as the City’s annual budget officer, traffic safety team administrator, public safety manager, strategic plan administrator and homeless services liaison.

“Since joining the City in 2012, Jerrid has continued to develop as a leader in the organization. We are proud of this international honor he has earned on behalf of the City of Santa Clarita and look forward to the even greater impact he will have on this community in the future,” said City Manager Ken Striplin.

The ICMA Local Government Excellence Awards Program highlights creative contributions to professional local government management while demonstrating the difference it makes to the quality of life in communities. ICMA’s Professional Awards honor individual achievement by outstanding chief administrative officers, assistant administrators, academics and others that may have been accomplished through tenure with a number of local governments or organizations. Nominations are evaluated by an independent, 17-person panel of ICMA members.

“We congratulate the recipients of our 2019 Professional Awards,” says ICMA Executive Marc A. Ott. “The men and women recognized this year set the standard for innovation, effectiveness and creativity in the cities, towns, counties and academic institutions they lead. We thank them for their commitment to improving the lives of the constituents they serve every day.”

For more information about ICMA’s Annual Awards Program, contact Joyce Lee Brown at jlee@icma.org or (202) 962-3625.