Rancho Cordova City Manager Wins Top Professional Award

Ted Gaebler, Rancho Cordova City Manager, is this year’s recipient of the top career development award from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The prestigious honor is awarded to the ICMA member who has made a significant contribution to the development of new talent in professional local government management.

ICMA is the premier local government leadership and management organization and has a membership of nearly 9,000 members throughout the world.

Gaebler has been a city manager and/or CEO of six government agencies in five states during a 47-year career. He is an internationally known consultant and lecturer. He co-authored the book, “Reinventing Government”, which became a worldwide best seller about transforming governments from bureaucratic organizations to flexible, customer-focused organizations. He has been Rancho Cordova’s city manager since September 2003. Under his leadership, 6-year-old Rancho Cordova has achieved a positive financial position while providing ever increasing services.

Many current and former local government professionals describe Gaebler as a forward-thinking city manager who is passionate about invigorating and advancing the profession of local government management by inspiring the values of innovation and dynamism in future leaders. He has impacted the professional lives of more than 1,000 individuals and hundreds of local governments by training and mentoring emerging leaders at the agencies he is leading and through his presentations and book.

Several generations of local government leaders have worked for and learned from Gaebler and then moved on to management roles in city and county governments across the nation.

“Some of us are managers and some of us inspire others to manage better. Gaebler does both and has had remarkable impacts on generations of managers who might never have considered careers in city management,” said Mark Scott, Spartanburg, South Carolina city manager. Scott attended a session hosted by Gaebler for young city management assistants in Central California and all six went on to become city managers.

“Ted Gaebler is a truly transformational city manager who has had a huge impact on my thinking and career,” said Rick Cole, City Manager of Ventura, California and former mayor of Pasadena, California. “I don’t think a day goes by when his influence on my thinking doesn’t come into play.” Mike Oliver who was city manager for two California cities said that Gaebler “has an insatiable thirst for knowledge, excellence, and sharing his learning with others.”

Gaebler was born and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He graduated from Miami University in Ohio and earned a Masters in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Graduate School of Business. The award ceremony will be one of the highlights at this year’s ICMA annual conference in Montreal in September.

“This award is especially rewarding because it was judged by a panel of 17 U.S. and international ICMA members,” said Gaebler. “Throughout my career, I have striven to reduce management layers and to provide more efficient and cost-effective services – and to have inspired current and future local government management to do the same is extremely gratifying.”

Gaebler was nominated for the Award for Career Development by Chester Newland, the Duggan Distinguished Professor at Southern California University – Capital Center.