Deborah Stuart | Member Support Committee Chair
The board recently approved a name change for the Member Success Committee to the Member Support Committee. The board challenged the committee to review its focus and determine if the name was still appropriate. We love the successes our members have had, but we know there is an increasing need for support services. The committee thought it was important to change the name to have a targeted focus on the effort to support MME members through services and resources.
To that end, the committee has prioritized the following areas:
- Survey and Analysis of Next Actions: We hope all members participated in the MME survey as there were some critical questions regarding our committee. We want to have a better understanding of the knowledge of our existing resources to determine if we need to communicate those better, as well as what resource gaps we have, so we can focus on providing them next year!
- MME Members in Transition Guide: We established a sub-committee to overhaul and update this guide to ensure it meets the needs of our members before there is a transition, during the exit, and following. If you have been through a transition, we would love to hear from you regarding what you wish you knew/learned the hard way, or what resources we may be able to provide.
- Resources at Conferences: We are working to secure legal resources to review contracts at the Winter Institute. The goal is to review best practices but also have one-on-one time similar to coaching time. Keep an eye out for more information on that!
We continue to call on our members to look out for their peers. Let the Member Support Committee know if you see someone facing a challenging time or rumblings that they may be at odds with their council. Contact any member of the Member Support Committee to get them connected. At a minimum, we want to offer a connection to Senior Resource Advisors and a peer mentor in their area. Many times, a regular check-in or lunch with someone who understands helps us not feel so isolated.
Deborah Stuart
Chair, Member Support Committee
City Manager, Mason
Deborah Stuart has served as the City of Mason City Manager since January 2016 and is responsible for a total staff of approximately fifty employees with an annual average budget of approximately $15 million. She has a total of over twenty years of local and state experience assisting community and economic development projects come to fruition. Prior to being Mason’s city manager, she served as the community development incentives director for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). In that role, she was responsible for various Michigan incentive programs averaging over $100 million annually being awarded to Michigan communities.
Deborah holds a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree from Western Michigan University. She has previously served on the MME Board of Directors, the Michigan Municipal League (MML) Board of Trustees, and as the MML Board of Trustees Liaison for the MML Foundation’s Board of Directors. In addition, she serves as an active contributor to MML’s 16/50 Project, focused on increasing the number of women in local government executive positions in Michigan.