Member Spotlight

Michael Colbert

County Administrator Montgomery County, Ohio ICMA Member since 2021

The highlight of my career has been serving as county administrator.

I say that because I’ve had an opportunity to do a lot of different jobs. I’ve been a state director; I’ve been a treasurer; and I’ve had an opportunity to work in the private sector. Being county administrator allows you to really see the impact of the policies, infrastructure, procedures, and all the things that you’re doing locally, and you get to see that impact on your local public in a community you live in. So that’s pretty wonderful.

ICMA has given me a wealth of contact information and knowledge.

Membership in ICMA also allows you to expand your professional development. ICMA is always providing the opportunity for you to be a part of either larger conversations on hot button issues or to be a part of professional development for yourself. I’m very thankful for ICMA and their networking and educational opportunities. One of the biggest challenges of my career was the 2019 tornado.

In 2019, our community was hit by a devastating tornado. Some 20 tornados hit the entire Dayton region. We had about 11 tornados that hit the Montgomery County area, ranging in intensity from EF0 to EF4. It tested the strength of our community, but it really tested the strength of our emergency management system. We had to collaborate with utilities and search and rescue, and think about things like debris removal and bringing in water from the state. It was a huge ordeal for my whole community, but it was huge for me as the leader of the community because the county, which is not normally the front line of government, became the front line of services.

The NACA Idea Exchange is huge.

Networking with the National Association of County Administrators (NACA) is incredibly helpful. They do something called an Idea Exchange, with conversations going on between administrators and counties all over the United States. We are able to discuss things like the tornado that my community experienced. There are those in Florida that have experienced hurricanes; those on the west coast that have experienced forest fires. NACA allows us to really coordinate and create relationships, and discuss how we deploy resources, and that’s great.