Hello to all the friends of LGA.

For over 20 years, LGA has offered the incredibly popular Municipal Intern Program to provide students who are considering a career in government an opportunity to gain real world experience. This flagship program for LGA connects local governments with the enthusiastic students who are eager to learn about the functions of government and complete meaningful projects.

This year, we hosted the MIP Intern Fair at University of Pittsburgh in the beautiful William Pitt Union building. Through our online promotion and coordination with universities and colleges throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania, we pre-registered over 50 students and welcomed just as many who stopped in to check out the activity and meet with potential employers.

I was eager to experience my first LGA Intern Fair and the event surpassed my expectations. The optimistic energy of the students was contagious, and it was fun to hear about their diverse interests and reasons for attending. The interaction left me confident that we have strong leaders in the making with many speaking of their desire to affect positive change in our communities.

The graduate and undergraduate students who participated in the Intern Fair did so to meet with municipalities that will support the intern’s professional growth and career development. The Municipal Intern Projects selected for 2019 will provide just that! I want to thank the municipal representatives who attended the Intern Fair as they all came prepared to discuss the projects and “interview” prospective interns. From the compliments the LGA staff received, we know that you benefited from the interaction and gained valuable insight into the student candidates. We wish you luck as you continue the interview process to select your intern. I know that many of you expressed your appreciation for the opportunity to meet so many well-qualified individuals who have the passion and eagerness to learn about government functions, infrastructure, and community engagement.

The range of municipal projects offered this year attracted wide-ranging skillsets across disciplines. We at LGA are looking forward to our 2019 Municipal Intern Program and learning more about the projects and watching the Interns grow and benefit from this experience.

With the mission to Promote Excellence in Local Government, LGA will continue to offer educational programs and technical assistance to elected officials, municipal staff, and the public. I encourage you to contact me with your thoughts and any concerns you may have about the demands facing local government and your ongoing support of our efforts to promote the strong and responsive local government systems necessary for healthy and vibrant communities.

– Joy