Andrew Lichterman
Assistant Village Manager/Director of Community Development
Village of Deerfield
Tell us about your journey into the profession:
After graduating from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s in political science I wasn’t sure which direction to go. A family friend, who also happened to be the Mayor of Skokie, invited me to lunch and told me all about the City Management profession. I immediately signed up for the MPA program at UIC. At first, I wasn’t able to secure an internship so I started volunteering in the City of Evanston’s budget office and also began attending IAMMA events. I knew nobody at the first IAMMA events I attended but everyone was always so welcoming, so I kept returning. I eventually met Jenny Maltas, who would be my future boss, at an IAMMA event. About six months after meeting Jenny, I interviewed with her for an Administrative Internship position at the Village of Deerfield and the rest is history. She taught me so much and gave me so many great opportunities – I’ll always be grateful to her for giving me a chance.
How did you become involved with IAMMA and what did you get out of your experience?:
Almost none of my graduate school classmates were pursuing a career in local government. At that time, most of the students in the MPA program at UIC were interested in federal and state government or non-profit organizations. I wanted to meet people in the profession and I knew that IAMMA was the best place to begin networking. I gained knowledge, friendship, leadership skills, public speaking skills, budgeting skills, and the art of negotiation and compromise while in IAMMA – not to mention the large sense of fulfillment I felt by giving back to the organization that gave me so much.
What committees were you involved with in IAMMA?:
Intern Representative, Communications Committee Co-Chair, Next Generation Committee Co-Chair, Board of Directors; President (2018-19).
Why is local government a good career path?:
A career in local government is a career in problem solving. It allows an individual to use the resources of government to improve the general welfare of the community. Every day is a new challenge and the variety of work keeps it interesting.
Fun fact about yourself:
I’m an Illinois licensed real estate broker and have had my license since 2010.
If you could give one piece of advice to future local government leaders, what would it be?:
Get involved early. That applies to so many things both internally and externally from your organization. Internally: Join work committees, volunteer for projects and find ways to get into rooms as a minute taker, etc. just to be a “fly on the wall”, as they say. Externally: Get involved in extracurriculars like IAMMA and take on leadership roles.
Shows/music/books you’re currently watching/listening to/reading:
Mostly watching Paw Patrol and reading 5-minute Disney story time books with my children. Otherwise, I just finished reading The French Detective by James Patterson and I’m currently reading The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations and Your Team by Patrick Lencioni.
Hobbies:
Slalom water skiing in the warm months, snowboarding in the cold months, and playing piano and percussion in between.
