Hester attends IIMC conference

Wesson Town Clerk Angela Hester has returned to her job at Wesson Town Hall after honing her skills and equipping herself with new knowledge at the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) annual conference last month.

Town Clerk Angela Hester joined other municipal clerks from around the world at the IIMC conference held May 14-17 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis.

IIMC, which is the premier membership organization of Municipal Clerks that has been dedicated to improving their professionalism since 1947, recently designated Hester a Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC), and she has started work on becoming a Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) through the 15,000-member group that encompasses officials from towns, small municipalities and large urban jurisdictions.

“The conference was an intense educational experience and I was able to network with other municipal clerks from throughout the world,” Hester says.

IIMC calls municipal clerks “the gateway to city hall” whom elected officials “count on to make sure public meetings, public records, elections and special projects operate smoothly.” The group’s annual conference seeks to provide a vehicle for its members to receive background and knowledge needed to help them deal with current problems and assure that municipal government is served by informed public officials.

In Minneapolis, delegates heard keynote speakers on “Strategic Communication: 'LIFE' Skills for Leaders,” and “GET YOUR SHIFT TOGETHER: How to Think, Laugh & Enjoy Your Way to Success in Business & in Life.” Other Education highlights included four Athenian Dialogues, six Academy Sessions and a bevy of concurrent sessions, including “4 Unspoken Communication Secrets Every Municipal Clerk Needs to Know,” “How to Master the Whiners and Make Them Winners,” “Civility CPR,” “Federal Resources for Elected Officials,” “Election Security in Time of Disturbance,” “Right Sizing the Clerk’s Office,” “Digital Government: Bringing Your Municipality into the 21st Century” and “Understanding Modern Discrimination and Diversity in Municipal Affairs.”

Mississippi delegation at International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) conference encouraged Wesson Town Clerk Angela Hester, who competed in Prince look-alike contest for expenses paid to attend 2024 IIMC conference. Left to right are Mary Ann Hess, Laurel Town Clerk, who is new IIMC president; Kristal Jones, Laurel Deputy Town Clerk; Rosezea Scott, Mccomb Town Clerk; Suzette Davis, Collins Town Clerk; Hester in her Prince costume; Cathy Clark, retired Carthage Town Clerk; Leslie Thompson, Meadville Town Clerk; Ruth Combest, Enterprise Town Clerk; Lauren Stewart, Laurel Deputy Clerk; and Kimberly Johnson, Smithville Town Clerk.