Al Vanderberg
Chair, Experience Committee
The Experience Committee hosted two sessions at the recent Winter Institute, including the awards ceremony and the session on the MME History, which included a panel discussion of managers representing four different generations. The session was informative and well received by the membership based on many comments received after the event.
The Experience Committee will soon inform the membership regarding ICMA Awards, which will be soon available to nominate members for. We will also focus on updating our inventory of professional development opportunities, costs to attend, and scholarship amounts for different opportunities. We will also be planning a session for the Summer Conference and continue our work on making the MME History sparkle. We will also be accepting nominations for the Patriarche Award in late summer.
I’d like to thank Shane Reeside for his contributions to the Experience Committee and also our returning committee members: Joe Bippus, Tom Tanghe, Sam Janson, Jeff Lawson, Mark Vanderpool, and Mark Wollenweber. We have a great slate of new members as well: Kim Awrey, Shea Charles, Jason Eppler, Rebecca Fleury, Brandon Mersman, and Tim Wolff.
We on the Experience Committee are looking forward to a fun and productive year!
Al Vanderberg
Chair, Experience Committee
Administrator/Controller, Kent County
Al Vanderberg serves as county administrator/controller of Kent County since August 2021. Previously, Al served as county administrator of Ottawa County; deputy county administrator/controller of Kent County; city manager of South Haven: and assistant city manager of Greenville. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Michigan and Master of Public Administration from Michigan State University. Al served as president of the Michigan Municipal Executives and Michigan Association of County Administrative Officials (MACAO), chair of the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council (GVMC) Board of Directors, and chair of the former West Michigan Strategic Alliance. He was appointed by Gov. Snyder to the Michigan Municipal Services Authority Board of Directors and Executive Committee and was appointed by Gov. Snyder and reappointed by Gov. Whitmer to the Michigan Child Lead Exposure Elimination Commission. Al is a member of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights Council for Government and Education on Equity and Inclusion, the NACo DEI Advisory Group, and the National Association of County Administrators Board of Directors. He is a member of the adjunct faculty of Grand Valley State University where he teaches in the undergraduate and masters programs. He also writes and speaks frequently on local government management topics and issues. He can be reached at al.vanderberg@kentcountymi.gov.