Spokane: Council Member Betsy Wilkerson Awarded With Association of Washington Cities Certificate of Municipal Leadership
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Lisa Gardner, City Council Communications Director, 509.625.6226

Betsy Wilkerson, Council Member representing the City of Spokane's District 2, recently received a Certificate of Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC).

AWC's Certificate of Municipal Leadership program recognizes city and town elected officials for accomplishing training in four core areas:

• Roles, responsibilities, and legal requirements
• Public sector resource management
• Community planning and development
• Effective local leadership

"Being a city leader in Washington is a complex job," said AWC Interim CEO Alicia Seegers Martinelli. "Through our CML program, we are helping mayors and councilmembers better understand and address the challenges of effective and equitable leadership, including understanding the legal landscape, budget and resource management, planning and development, and more."

Wilkerson completed more than 30 hours of training credits to earn this distinction.

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"AWC's training has given me a great foundation in government to build on," said Council Member Betsy Wilkerson.  "I look forward to continuing the educational offerings of AWC and the opportunity to learn from other elected officials from cities large and small around the state."

As the third African American to serve on Spokane City Council in the city's history, Wilkerson is proud to have worked on many initiatives to incorporate the diverse and historically underserved communities into the City's decision-making process. This includes public engagement in communities of color around CARES Act dollars and American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds. As Finance Chair she helped with the establishment of the Equity Subcommittee to ensure that the city's budget and policies work to serve every resident.

About the Association of Washington Cities:

AWC serves its members through advocacy, education, and services. Founded in 1933, AWC is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation that represents Washington's 281 cities and towns before the state legislature, the state executive branch, and with regulatory agencies. AWC also provides training, data and publications, and programs such as the AWC Employee Benefit Trust, AWC Risk Management Service Agency, AWC Workers' Comp Retro, AWC Drug and Alcohol Consortium, and AWC GIS Consortium.

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