2025 New & Future City Managers Seminar:
November 5-7, 2025 | Westin Pasadena

APPLICATION PERIOD IS CLOSED.

The city management profession is a challenging mix of fiscal management, politics, legal issues and public relations (to name a few). The California City Management Foundation is dedicated to supporting the next generation of city managers in navigating these challenges. Our largest effort is the annual New & Future City Managers Seminar or “NFCM Seminar.” If your Assistant City Manager or someone else in your peer network could benefit from the NFCM Seminar, please share this opportunity with them!

What is the NFCM Seminar?

The NFCM Seminar is a longstanding annual workshop hosted by CCMF, geared toward helping new city managers and those on track to become city managers in the future. The group is limited to 25 participants who spend nearly all of their time together in close discussions, eating meals together, and staying at the same hotel. Group discussions are led by long-tenured city managers who act as facilitators.

What will I learn at the NFCM Seminar?

In this intensive multi-day workshop, senior city managers share a wide range of keen insights and legendary stories that help guide and inform participants’ career choices. This event is a rare opportunity for new and soon-to-be city managers to trade ideas and receive mentoring from seasoned veterans. We look forward to it all year!

Where/when will the 2025 Seminar be?

The 2025 NFCM Seminar will take place at the Westin Pasadena hotel on Wednesday, November 5 through Friday, November 7. The cost to participate in the NFCM Seminar is $1,075 for non-members and $675 for members. This includes meals, lodging and seminar materials.

All events and networking activities will be at/near the hotel. CCMF Foundation Circle-and-above sponsors will have the opportunity to join the opening night dinner and reception.

HOW TO APPLY

You do not need to be a CCMF member in order to apply. To submit your application, please email the following to the NFCM team at nfcm@cacitymanagers.org before Friday, Aug. 15 at 5 p.m.

  • A letter of interest explaining why you would benefit from attending the NFCM Seminar
  • Your resume

CCMF will attempt to let applicants know whether they have been selected the first week of September so applicants can make arrangements for time off and travel to Pasadena.

What do past Seminar participants have to say?

Kurt Wilson

“As a new City Manager, the New & Future City Managers Seminar was the most valuable training I attended. It gave me the opportunity to talk shop with people who understood my new role, and the insights from experienced City Managers really got my career off to the right start. I highly recommend NFCM for anyone serious about making an investment in this one-of-a-kind career!”- Kurt Wilson, Former City Manager of Stockton and a 2010 NFCM Seminar participant
Jim Lewis

“Before considering taking the step to City Manager, the New & Future City Managers Seminar is a MUST! It taught me a number of valuable lessons and also identified some key blind spots I had not considered before. That weekend literally connected me to my first Assistant City Manager job and gave me the confidence to know I had what it took to be a City Manager.”- Jim Lewis, City Manager of Atascadero and a 2004 NFCM Seminar participant

Testimonials

CCMF is a great forum for folks to learn—from those currently in the industry, from those who were in the industry—and to help set up the next generation of city managers.

Aaron Adams, Temecula City Manager & CCMF Board Member

One of the biggest benefits of being a part of CCMF is having that network, not just in our small local areas, but statewide. CCMF offers that to all of us.

Jessica Binnquist, Alhambra City Manager

CCMF provides scholarships for professional development, such as week-long trips to Harvard.

Justin Hess, Burbank City Manager

CCMF provides a concentrated foundation for understanding the potential future of being a City Manager.

Jorge Garcia, City Manager Pismo Beach

What CCMF does to bring people together and provide opportunities to connect, that’s where the magic happens.

Karen Pinkos , El Cerrito City Manager & CCMF Board Member

Resources