By: Siew-Chin Yeong, P.E., Director of Public Works, Pleasanton, CA
Attending the 2026 ICMA Annual Conference in Long Beach was a great opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, gain new perspectives, and reflect on my own leadership journey in local government.
What I appreciated most was the diversity of conversations and experiences shared by local government leaders from across the country. While our communities may differ, we face many of the same challenges: developing and retaining talent, building public trust, navigating change, and delivering essential services with increasingly limited resources.
As a Public Works Director, I often focus on infrastructure, capital projects, budgets, and daily service delivery. The conference was a welcome reminder to step back and recognize that our greatest responsibility is developing the people who make those services possible. Our success is not measured only by the projects we complete, but also by the teams we build, the trust we earn, and the communities we serve.
I returned to Pleasanton energized by the connections made and ideas shared. Most importantly, I was reminded that leadership is a continuous journey. We do not have to have all the answers, but we must remain curious, be willing to learn, support one another, and create opportunities for others to succeed. This is a valuable leadership training boot camp that I would recommend to my staff and colleagues to attend in the future.
We are stronger as a profession when we learn from one another, lift one another up, and lead together.