RGS is pleased to announce that Rick Cole will return to help launch our fourth annual Management Institute as the featured keynote speaker in Winter 2025! Previous Institute attendees have given accolades for his intro to the Institute and the importance of local government work.
Rick Cole is the Chief Deputy Controller for the City of Los Angeles, where he’s responsible for overseeing the accounting, paymaster, payroll, and auditing functions of the nation’s second-largest city. Governing Magazine honored Cole as one of “America’s Public Officials of the Year” and he’s served as City Manager of three Southern California cities: Santa Monica, Ventura and Azusa.
The Los Angeles Times cited his “reputation as a wizard of municipal reform” and called him “one of Southern California’s most visionary planning thinkers.” As a former council member and mayor in his hometown of Pasadena, Cole spearheaded the city’s award-winning general plan, credited with a key role in the revitalization of Old Pasadena. He recently rejoined the Pasadena City Council, winning 60% of the vote to become the first candidate in Pasadena’s history to have defeated two incumbents on his way to winning a seat on the Council.
In 2013, Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti recruited him to serve as the City’s first “Deputy Mayor for Budget and Innovation” where he was named one of Government Technology Magazine’s “Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers.” He has also served as the Executive Director for the Congress for the New Urbanism. He’s been honored by the American Society of Public Administration and the Municipal Management Association of Southern California for management excellence. He’s spoken at national conferences for the International City/County Manager’s Association; Governing Finance Officers Association; American Planning Association; American Institute of Architects; Urban Land Institute; International Making Cities Livable; American Library Association; Mayor’s Institute on City Design; Code for America; CityLab; CityAge; Emerging Local Government Leaders; National Black Caucus; National Trust for Historic Preservation; New Partners for Smart Growth; American Association of Blacks in Energy; and U.S. Green Building Council. He currently also teaches Urban Policy and Politics at Occidental College and Pepperdine University.
We are honored to welcome Rick Cole back as our keynote speaker. Mr. Cole will speak to Management Institute attendees about the potential of local government, the importance of local government managers, and how they can best respond to the complex challenges facing our communities. To register for our new Management Institute, visit the Institute registration page.
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