Certified Elected Municipal Official

Tuesday, December 19, 2023


To recognize elected officials who are committed to continuing their professional development as elected officials, the Iowa League of Cities established the Certified Elected Municipal Official (CEMO) program. This voluntary recognition program utilizes existing League training opportunities, such as the Annual Conference & Exhibit and the Municipal Leadership Academy, allowing attendees to build towards the CEMO designation while receiving meaningful, informative and useful information on topics that expand the elected official’s knowledge and capabilities. 

Fifty credits are needed to obtain the CEMO designation; this includes a mix of required core and elective credits. Credits for training are only available for events attended after January 1, 2012. Credits can be used only once for each training. Below is an overview of required and elective credits: 

Required Core Courses: 30 Credit
  • Municipal Leadership Academy Part One (15 credits)
  • Attendance at Annual Conference & Exhibit (15 credits)
Elective Core Courses: 20 Credits
  • Small City Workshops (5 credits)
  • Budget Workshops (5 credits)​
  • Municipal Leadership Academy Part Two (10 credits)
  • Municipal Leadership Academy Part Three (10 credits)
  • Nuisance Abatement Conference (10 credits)​
  • League’s Local Leaders Day (10 credits)
  • Additional Annual Conference & Exhibit (10 credits)
  • Member of Iowa Mayors Association (5 credits)
  • Membership and Participation on a League Committee (5 credits)
  • Attendance at a National League of Cities Conference or Training (5 credits)
  • National Civility Summit for Local Government (5 credits)
  • Additional League training (5 credits)
Note on Online Training

MLA online content requires registration in the name of the person seeking credit.

Credit for Outside Training Opportunities:

Up to five Elective Credits may be granted for participation in educational programs offered by other organizations. This is offered on a one contact hour per credit basis. A copy of the agenda is required to obtain this credit. Examples include regional League meetings, councils of governments and trainings put on by state and federal agencies. The topic must be of interest to a broad range of elected city officials.  

CEMO Award Winners

Congratulations to all of our award winners.

2023RecipientCity
2023Rylie PflughauptCouncil Member, Vinton
2023Elaine OtteCouncil Member, Atlantic
2023H.Lee SiscoCouncil Member, Atlantic
2023Grace GarrettMayor, Atlantic
2023Shawnna SilviusMayor, Red Oak
2022RecipientCity
2022Lorraine BorowskiMayor, Decorah
2022Christina EicherCouncil Member, Bennett
2022Robert GreenMayor, Cedar Falls
2022Adam HoffmanMayor, Waverly
2022Nicholas LindbergMayor, Casey
2022Brian Roquet Council Member, Dunkerton
2022Susan SkeriesCouncil Member, Windsor Heights
2022Larry SmockMayor, Worthington
2021RecipientCity
2021Everett BieriCouncil Member, Walcott
2021John HailaMayor, Ames
2021Michael HalleyCouncil Member, Fairfield
2021Michael HammondFormer Council Member, Charles City
2021Justin MelohnMayor, Newell
2021Cathy RichCouncil Member, Brighton
2021Laura RoussellCouncil Member, Dubuque
2020RecipientCity
2020Bernie FridenMayor, Fairfax
2020 Craig HenryFormer Mayor, Huxley
2020 Anthony HeddlestenCouncil Member, Riverdale
2020Marline LewerkeCouncil Member, Garner
2020Greg PiklappCouncil Member, Boone
2020Ashley VanornyCouncil Member, Cedar Rapids
2020Millie YoungquistCouncil Member, Washington
2019RecipientCity
2019Holly BergCouncil Member, Ottumwa
2019Johanna BerganCouncil Member, Decorah
2019Steven DodsonCouncil Member, Hiawatha
2019Roger GundersonCouncil Member, Missouri Valley
2019Patricia HoffmanCouncil Member, Preston
2019Barbara MittmanCouncil Member, Nevada
2019Trevis O’ConnellMayor, Floyd
2019Jerry OlsonCouncil Member, Hartley
2019Clayton PyleFormer Mayor, Hartley
2019Randy StrnadCouncil Member, Marion
2019Roxann SwansonCouncil Member, Hartley
2019Dawn VogelCouncil Member, Jesup
2019Mary WestphalenCouncil Member, Hartley
2018RecipientCity
2018Brett BarkerMayor, Nevada
2018Steven DruivengaMayor, Wall Lake
2018Curt GauseCouncil Member, Pleasant Hill
2018Adam GriggsCouncil Member, Central City
2018Richard HeimMayor, Auburn
2018Debra K. LarsenMayor, New Hampton
2018Bruce PerryCouncil Member, Sac City
2018Susie WeinachtCouncil Member, Cedar Rapids
2017RecipientCity
2017Matt DalbeyCouncil Member, Ottumwa
2017Laurie GoodrichCouncil Member, Coralville
2017Kim SackerCouncil Member, Van Meter
2017Dan SchollMayor, Humboldt
2016RecipientCity
2016Jeff BohnsackCouncil Member, Anita
2016Timothy GartinCouncil Member, Ames
2016Lynn LathropMayor, Nevada
2016Amy NielsenMayor, North Liberty
2016Tom PhillipsMayor, Norwalk
2016Tim SchmidtCouncil Member, Garner
2016Andrew WebbCouncil Member, Roland
2015RecipientCity
2015Toni GrahamCouncil Member, Shenandoah
2015Shirley McAdonCouncil Member, Adel
2015George MoriartyCouncil Member, Spencer
2015Ron NeuliebMayor, Alta
2015Reynold PetersonMayor, Spencer
2015Christopher TaylorMayor, Swisher
2014RecipientCity
2014Gordon CanfieldMayor, Grinnell
2014Kris GulickCouncil Member, Cedar Rapids
2014Tom LazioMayor, Ottumwa
2014Adam SchweersMayor, Carroll
2014Warren WoodsMayor, Creston
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