President of the National League of Cities - Victoria Woodards

This episode of the Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast sponsored by Bearing Advisors, Jim Hunt interviews 2023 NLC President, Victoria Woodards.

·       A candid conversation about her outlook on the 2023 year at the NLC and her city, Tacomma, WA.

·       Why she choose to work on workforce and housing.

And, much more

 

7 Steps to an Amazing City:

1.     Attitude

2.     Motivation

3.     Attention to Detail

4.     Zing

5.     Inclusiveness

6.     Neighborhood Empowerment

7.     Green Awareness

Thanks for listening and look forward to having you join us for the next episode.

 

Links Mentions During Show:

 www.NLC.org 

·       www.AmazingCities.org

·       www.AmazingCities.org/podcast to be a guest on the podcast

 

About Victoria Woodards, NLC President and Mayor of Tacoma, WA  

 Mayor Victoria Woodards of Tacoma, Washington serves as the President of the National League of Cities (NLC). She was elected mayor in 2018.

Woodards has called the “City of Destiny” her home for almost her entire life. She is a proud graduate of Tacoma’s Lincoln High School and has served as a soldier in the United States Army. Before
becoming mayor, she served for seven years as an at-large member of the City Council. During that time, she launched the city’s Equity and Empowerment initiative which led to the establishment of its Office of Equity and Human Rights. She also brought partner organizations together for then-President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative and spearheaded the city’s Project PEACE initiative which bridged community members with the Tacoma Police Department.

As mayor, she continues to be a champion of these important issues while expanding her involvement in
regional and national conversations on affordable housing, transportation, strengthening youth and
families, public safety, growing local business, and the creation of family wage jobs. She has also worked to more fully engage the city’s youth in community decisions that impact them every day, by expanding Student Government Day and establishing the city’s first Youth Commission.

Woodards has been selected to serve in a number of national leadership roles that allow her to share
information with other cities across the country and bring best practices back to Tacoma. In addition to
her role as President, she has served as co-chair of both NLC’s Council on Youth, Education, and Families and its Race, Equity and Leadership program. At the United States Conference of Mayors, she serves on the advisory board; as vice-chair of the Committee on Jobs, Education, and the Workforce; and as cochair of the Women Mayors Leadership Alliance.

Some of her other leadership roles as Tacoma’s mayor include positions on the Puget Sound Regional
Council Executive Board, Sound Transit Board, Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Development Board,
Pierce Transit Board, Foundation for Tacoma Students Board, and the Workforce Central Board. In
partnership with County Executive Bruce Dammeier and County Council Member Connie Ladenburg, she also convened elected leaders from across Pierce County for Mayoral Roundtable to explore
opportunities for regional collaboration on the issue of housing attainability in the region, an initiative
that formally came to be known as the ‘South Sound Housing Affordability Partners.’

Woodards has consistently reaffirmed her support for immigrant and refugee families, and Tacoma
remains a welcoming city committed to providing immigrant and refugee communities with equitable
access to City services. Alongside her peers on the City Council, she advocates for policies that provide
safety and stability for all members of the community, and she uses her national leadership roles to join
with mayors across the county in calling for federal reforms. Under her leadership, the city appointed
members to its first Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. This commission was established to better engage with immigrant and refugee communities, and to work with local organizations to identify and advance positive outcomes for community members in need.

Demonstrating a lifelong track record of public service, Woodards has served as president of the Tacoma Urban League and as director of community development for the Tacoma Rainiers. Her past civic engagement work has also included leadership positions with the Tacoma Metropolitan Parks Board, the
Washington State History Museum, and the Washington State Commission of African American Affairs.

About Your Host, Jim Hunt:

Welcome to the “Building Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast” … The podcast for Mayors, Council Members, Managers, Staff and anyone who is interested in building an Amazing City.

 

Your host is Jim Hunt, the author of “Bottom Line Green, How American Cities are Saving the Planet and Money Too” and his latest book, “The Amazing City - 7 Steps to Creating an Amazing City”

 

Jim is also the former President of the National League of Cities, 27 year Mayor, Council Member and 2006 Municipal Leader of the Year by American City and County Magazine.

 

Today, Jim speaks to 1000’s of local government officials each year in the US and abroad.

 

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