Q&A with Jackie Schulze -- Waconia assistant city administrator and outgoing MCMA president

As outgoing president of the Minnesota City/County Management Association, Jackie Schulze helped guide the organization through a year focused on leadership development, member connection, and support during challenging times for local government professionals. In this Q&A, Schulze reflects on the accomplishments and challenges of her term, the importance of professional relationships in city and county management, and why she remains optimistic about the future of the profession and MCMA.

Q: What motivated you to get involved with MCMA leadership?

JS: I was very involved in APMP – the Association of Public Management Professionals – when I first began my career in Minnesota right out of grad school. I moved up on their board, served as president. As president of APMP, you serve on the MCMA Board of Directors as well. That was my first exposure to the MCMA Board.

Following my time on the board, I looked for other ways to get involved. I joined committees and co-chaired the annual conference, but I wanted to be more involved in the behind-the-scenes work, and I thought joining the board would be a great way to expand on that. I applied to be on the board, got selected, and it’s been a great experience. 

Q: How has your experience with MCMA influenced your approach in your day-to-day role?

JS: In general, I think it’s made me more confident in my day-to-day work. Speaking in front of groups, leading meetings, and having that confidence while collaborating. It’s also given me a richer network than I could have ever imagined, too. I had friends and connections before joining the board, but some of the members on the board are some of my closest friends. 

Q: What were your top priorities when you stepped into this role, and how did those priorities evolve?

JS: I was kind of lucky to have that built-in set of priorities already established and adopted by the board, because we had our strategic plan updated about a year ago. Our board came in super aligned and really excited to work on the areas they were passionate about.

Of those priorities, getting the MCMA Mentorship Program created and developed is something I’m super proud of and excited about. I’ve kind of long wondered why we don’t have a program like this, and I was talking to our finance director who told me about the GFOA mentorship program, and I just knew we should be doing something similar. The board making that a priority in the strategic direction, kind of giving me the leeway to work with the committee to develop that and get it across the finish line is super exciting, and I hope people take advantage of it.

We also wanted to focus on how we could reach more members this year. Our board is really metro-heavy, so we decided to bring our board meetings out to other regions and invited other MCMA members in the region to join us. That was a great way for them to see how we operate and hopefully get them thinking about potentially joining the board in the future. And of course, just to connect and have an informal, casual lunch and talk about what we’re all dealing with in our communities, the Timberwolves, or the Wild, or whatever it is. We are excited to continue to visit other regions, moving forward.  

Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of from your term?

JS: I would say the mentorship program. I’m just really excited to see that grow, and I hope members participate in it year after year and continue to find value in the program. 

Q: What did this role teach you about leadership in local government?

JS: My reflection is it can be really hard to lead in a room full of natural leaders. Our entire board is made up of people who are managing or helping to manage their organizations, so everyone has that leadership role and brings differing opinions.. We are a tight-knot group, and all enjoy chatting with each other, so sometimes staying on task can be tough! I found that oftentimes it’s easiest to break the board down into smaller taskforces to focus on things and bring back recommendations to the board. 

Q: How did you face unexpected challenges?

JS: I think the hardest challenge our board faced this year was during Operation Metro Surge and looking at how to address that with our members. We heard from our members that they wanted guidance, which we understood but we all came from different cities with different experiences with it.

We issued a thoughtful statement on the matter after consulting with our board, and we really focused that on member support and being there for each other during those difficult times.

We also worked with ICMA and asked them for their support. We said, ‘Hey, our members are struggling with this, and we need guidance from you at ICMA on how to handle this.” Noah (Schuchman) – the incoming president – was vital in those conversations and working to strengthen our relationship with ICMA through this,ICMA has implemented their regional calls and also is bringing two trainings to MN focused on crisis management and strategic communications and I think our conversations with them played a role in this. I’m really proud of that work.

Another thing was our winter workshop happened right in the middle of all of this, and we had a lot of attendees at the winter workshop because I think people were looking for that sense of community during a difficult time. However, I don’t think the winter workshop hit home with our attendees who I think wanted to talk about what they were going through more. As I reflect on it, I’m thinking of what we could have done to better support our members. I don’t have a great answer, but I know we didn’t meet the mark with that event. 

Q: Why is involvement in MCMA important for city and county professionals?

JS: MCMA as a whole has been imperative to my professional growth and development. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, it takes time away from your day job,” but I think involvement in MCMA or any association makes us better at our day jobs. I don’t look at it as taking away from my work, because at the end of the day it’s an investment not just in my own development, but in the organization I serve and the profession as a whole. We’re making these connections, we’re building these relationships and bringing these ideas back to our cities and counties based on what we learn from our peers at these conferences and at these events. That plus the support system you gain pays off in so many ways for your organization and you as a person. 

Q: How has the organization grown or changed during your tenure on the board?

JS: One big change the board made during my tenure was shifting our conference planning from who we used to work with to the League of Minnesota Cities. That was a big change for our members and the board, but it has paid off in dividends. Working with League staff on conference planning has made our conferences more professional, I think we’ve gotten stronger speakers, and I think we’ve just gotten more value out of those events.

This year specifically, we revised our Senior Advisor Program and put some more parameters around it. We added some senior advisors, and it’s been really fun to see more recent retirees who want to stay active and be involved and give back to our members. I think what we’ve done with that program will be really great for future boards and for years to come. 

Q: What role do professional networks like MCMA play in supporting leaders through complex issues?

JS: For me, it’s all about the relationships that you build through this group. I know I could call any of our board members or just other friends and colleagues I’ve met through MCMA anytime. Anytime I’m going through a professional issue – or sometimes even a personal issue – you develop those really strong relationships and friendships and know they are people you can count on and trust to help support you during those times. 

Q: What advice would you give to someone stepping into a leadership role within MCMA or their city/county?

JS: Embrace it. I’m naturally a quieter person; I’m pretty introverted. But don’t be shy, don’t be hesitant to reach out and get to know people just because you might have more of an introverted personality. Get to know your fellow board members and build those genuine relationships with them. That will improve your work in your day job, too, and you’ll be able to work better on the board together because you’ll have those relationships developed. Also, don’t be afraid to step into a role with the board – the board does great work because we are a diverse group – we all work for cities and counties of different sizes, are from different parts of the state, are in various roles within our organizations – and this results in our board members having different views and opinions and also truly making decisions that benefit all of MCMA membership!  

Q: From your perspective, how is the city/county management profession changing?

JS: I don’t know if it’s a change, but we’re seeing a lot of talented young professionals coming into the profession. I really hope that with the addition of our mentorship program we can help grow these young professionals into being awesome managers, assistants, or whatever role they want for themselves in the future.

One thing we’re seeing is maybe less people wanting to leave the jobs they’re in. When jobs open up, I don’t think there are as many applicants as there were before. I think people are just happy with the roles they’re in and there’s less movement than what we’ve seen in the past. So I want to make sure we’re really growing that next generation of managers and assistants who would be willing to fill those roles when they do open up. 

Q: What gives you optimism about the future of MCMA?

JS: I think it’s the passion that our members – especially our board members in general – have. The board truly has this member-support focus and wants to be there for our members. I think that passion and commitment to support is going to be great for our members in the future.

There are a lot of great things in the pipeline with our strategic plan that we have in place. One thing I know we’ll see more of is outreach to schools and developing relationships with political science and public administration programs. We are really trying to get people engaged in this profession before they go to grad school or while they’re in college and remind them that they can do this job.

I’m also just excited to see the board continue our outreach and traveling across the state to meet members where they’re at. 

Q: What’s next for you after serving as MCMA president?

JS: I’ll serve one year as past president, which will be my last year on the board. I’m really going to miss the board, and when I’ve talked to other previous board members, they echo that same thing – they miss the people.

Being president is a lot more work than I think you realize when you first join the board. As second vice president and vice president, the work starts ramping up. Then you hit that presidential year, and it’s a lot. I promised my husband that I’d take a couple of years off before jumping onto another board or something similar. At some point, I would like to get involved with the League Board; I’ve done policy committees with the League in the past, which has been a lot of fun, and would like to get more involved with them moving forward.

Down the line, once my kids are older, I’d consider the ICMA Board, with the support of my husband, family, manager, council, etc. I’ve served on a couple of ICMA committees in the past two years, which have been great experiences, and being able to work with ICMA in a closer capacity this year has been very valuable. That’s something I have my sights on, but I’ve got two little kids at home and the travel would be difficult at their ages right now, so I plan to wait until they are a bit older.