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In collaboration with the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), this Athenian Leadership Society Dialogue series is offered by the Virginia Municipal Clerks Association (VMCA) Institute and Academy and hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).

About the Athenian Leadership Society

The Athenian Leadership Society is an advanced IIMC Leadership Development Program. Athenian Dialogues focus on helping municipal clerks develop critical thinking skills and increase their leadership ability. Athenian Dialogues provide valuable knowledge, vision and understanding to build increased leadership capacity and add value to the contribution of municipal clerks in improving local government.

After completing ten Athenian Dialogues, active IIMC members with good standing are eligible to apply to become fellows in the IIMC Athenian Leadership Society.

IIMC Education Points

All our Athenian Dialogues are IIMC pre-approved. Athenian Dialogues are eligible for 3 CMC Education Points or 3 MMC Advanced Education Points each with completion of the required learning assessment. A maximum of 18 points can be applied to a CMC application and another separate 18 points to an MMC application.

Virtual Dialogues

Athenian Dialogues explore leadership principles and practices, drawing on the insights contained in a book that all participants have read. Dialogues are a channel of communication in which municipal clerks share their experience and understanding as they relate to the author’s ideas and the relevance of those ideas to their public leadership role.

Dialogues will be held online using Zoom meetings. VCU will provide you with a link where you can connect through your PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, or Android device.

IIMC Requirements

Per IIMC policy, participants must read the entire book prior to attending the Dialogue.

Attendees are expected to limit outside distractions to allow for an effective learning environment and be fully present for the duration of the Dialogue. In addition, participants must have a stable camera and audio connection for the entire session. Participants that opt not to have an audio connection or a camera connection will be removed from the session.

Assessment

To earn International Institute of Municipal Clerk (IIMC) education points, participants must fully participate in the dialogue and successfully complete a written assessment within 30 days of the last session. Submission instructions will be provided via email at the end of the dialogue. The facilitator will review and provide feedback and approve the submission in order for the participant to earn the IIMC education points. If alternative arrangements are not made in advance, participants who fully attend the session, but do not complete the assessment by the deadline, will be provided with an "attendance only" certificate instead of an IIMC education points certificate.

Certificates

After your facilitator confirms your attendance and approves your assessment, VCU will send you a link for you to certify your participation and receive your electronic certificate. Your certificate will be immediately available for download and automatically emailed to you. VCU will send this link to you approximately one month after the assessment submission deadline. Attendance only certificate links will be sent within two business days of the close of the Dialogue. If you have a special circumstance and need your certificate sooner, please let us know, and we will work with the facilitator to accommodate your situation.

Cost per Dialogue

• $75 for VMCA members
• $100 for IIMC members
  Books must be purchased separately on your own.

Registration

Registration is limited to 24 participants. The minimum enrollment is 10.

Registration Options

IIMC Points

To earn International Institute of Municipal Clerk (IIMC) education points, participants must fully participate in the dialogue and successfully complete a written assessment within 30 days of the last session. Submission instructions will be provided via email at the end of the dialogue. The facilitator will review and provide feedback and approve the submission in order for the participant to earn the IIMC education points.

Attendance Only

To earn an "attendance only" certificate toward your fellow application to the IIMC Athenian Leadership Society, clerks must fully participate in the entire dialogue.

Book Selection

• • A Choice of Weapons by Gordon Parks

    Gordon Parks (1912–2006)—the groundbreaking photographer, writer, composer, activist, and filmmaker—was only sixteen in 1928 when he moved from Kansas to St. Paul, Minnesota, after his mother's death. There, homeless and hungry, he began his fight to survive, to educate himself, and to fulfill his potential dream. This compelling autobiography, first published in 1966, now back in print by popular demand and with a new foreword by Wing Young Huie, tells how Parks managed to escape the poverty and bigotry around him and to launch his distinguished career by choosing the weapons given him by "a mother who placed love, dignity, and hard work over hatred." Parks, the first African American to work at Life magazine and the first to write, direct, and score a Hollywood film, told an interviewer in 1999, "I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera." (Summary on back of book) (296 pages)

  • The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

    A tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that, despite its profound flaws, gave the author the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. (Paperback: 416 pages)

  • Atlas of The Heart by Brené Brown

    Brene’ Brown takes us on a journey of exploring eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. This book is all about creating and maintaining connections with others. She maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection – giving us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second changes – a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection. (Summary on back of the book)

    This is an insightful book for Municipal Clerks to identify the emotions that are part of making meaningful connections with their fellow employees, administrators, and council members. In Dare to Lead, Brene’ taught us about vulnerability and its necessity in building trust and relationships. This book takes that a step further by taking us through our many emotions and the combination that works for each of us to make meaningful connections. (336 pages)

  • Becoming by Michelle Obama

    In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America - the first African American to serve in the role - she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a power advocate for women and girls in the US and around the world.

    In her memoir, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address. Becoming is a deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations. (Excerpt from website) (464 Pages)

  • Start with Why by Simon Sinek

    Simon Sinek is leading a movement to build a world in which the vast majority of us are inspired by the work we do. This book is a deeper dive into the “why” we do what we do on a daily basis. Any person or organization can explain what they do; some can explain how they are different or better, but very few can clearly articulate “why”. Why is not about money or profits – those are results. Why is what inspired us and inspires those around us. (Summary on back of the book) This is a great book for Municipal Clerks to lead them to discover the “why” behind their “what” and how they inspire others every day. The role of the clerk is so busy and task-oriented that it’s hard to stop and think about the reasons why clerks are servant leaders. This book and discussion provides the opportunity to look inward and hopefully inspire a new perspective on their role. (256 pages)

  • Finding Me by Viola Davis

    In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever. This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn't always see me.

    As I wrote Finding Me, my eyes were open to the truth of how our stories are often not given close examination. We are forced to reinvent them to fit into a crazy, competitive, judgmental world. So I wrote this for anyone running through life untethered, desperate and clawing their way through murky memories, trying to get to some form of self-love. For anyone who needs reminding that a life worth living can only be born from radical honesty and the courage to shed facades and be . . . you.

    Finding Me is a deep reflection, a promise, and a love letter of sorts to self. My hope is that my story will inspire you to light up your own life with creative expression and rediscover who you were before the world put a label on you. (304 pages)

  • Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing

    In an extraordinary story that only he could tell-and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it-Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humor, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.

    Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening-as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for. (Summary on back of book) (272 pages)

  • Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

    Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders create environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things. (368 pages)

  • The Soul of Leadership by Deepak Chopra

    Bestselling author and spiritual guide Deepak Chopra invites you to become the kind of leader most needed today: a leader with vision who can make that vision real. Chopra has been teaching leadership to CEOs and other top executives for eight years, and the path outlined in The Soul of Leadership applies to any business, but the same principles are relevant in every community and area of life, from family and home to school, place of worship, and neighborhood. “At the deepest level,” Chopra writes, “a leader is the symbolic soul of a group.”

    "The Soul of Leadership" aims to fill the most critical void in contemporary life, the void of enlightened leaders. “You can be such a leader,” Chopra promises. “The path is open to you. The only requirement is that you learn to listen to your inner guide.” In this unique handbook you are shown how to do just that, in words as practical as they are uplifting. The future is unfolding at this very minute, and the choice to lead it lies with each of us, here and now.nst racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera." (Excerpt from back of book) (224 pages)

  Rotating Facilitators

  Janice M. Bates, MMC

  Janice is an experienced municipal clerk, Athenian Dialogue facilitator, and speaker. She has served as Clerk of Council for Tipp City, Ohio since 2011. She is active in both the Ohio Municipal Clerks Association (OMCA) and the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC). Within the OMCA, she has served in the roles of president, vice president, immediate past president and city board member. While on the OMCA Board, her priority was increasing membership and educational opportunities. In 2019, she was sworn in as the IIMC Region V Director. 

  Janice holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in art and art history with a concentration in photography from Wright State University. In addition, she is an Athenian Leadership Society Fellow with Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) and Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) credentials from the IIMC.

  Libby Hume, MMC
  

  Libby Hume is the Town Clerk of the Town of Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and has been in the position since 2008. Libby has over 25 years' experience in administration, fifteen with the Town of Cape Charles, and ten in the private sector. 

• She joined IIMC and the VMCA in 2009 and obtained her CMC in November 2013 and her MMC in September 2016. She was inducted into the IIMC Athenian Leadership Society as a Fellow in May 2018 and is the first clerk in the Commonwealth of Virginia to receive this designation. She is the only clerk in Virginia certified by the IIMC to facilitate Athenian Leadership Dialogues.

  Cancellation and Refund Policies

  You may cancel your registration up until the cancellation deadline listed on the registration page and receive a full refund minus a $35 credit card processing fee. After that date, no refunds will be given. Cancellations must be received via email at ocpe@vcu.edu.
  
  In the unlikely event that this Dialogue is cancelled or postponed due to insufficient enrollments or unforeseen circumstances, the university will fully refund registration fees, but cannot be held responsible for any other expenses.

  Custom Athenian Dialogues

  Have your own group of 10 or more?
  
  We're glad to offer an IIMC pre-approved virtual Athenian Dialogue just for your group. Gather your group, decide on an IIMC approved book, and let us know a date range for the sessions. We can invoice the group, or open a special link where each clerk can pay individually to participate. To explore this option, please contact the Institute Director Shelly Schuetz at Email ssschuetz@vcu.edu. Need a book idea? View Previous Athenian Dialogues.