Today, The East West Gateway Council of Governments (http://www.ewgateway.org) held their annual business meeting and awards luncheon. It was held downtown St. Louis with about 500 attendees, including many notable county and city officials (county executives, mayors, councilmen, and staff)
I accepted an award to Kathleen for Lifetime Achievement. Many of Kathleen's friends and professional colleagues were also in attendance.
Outstanding Local Government Achievement Awards
East West Gateway Council of Governments
Kathleen M. Mansfield (posthumously)
The late Kathleen M. Mansfield, Assistant City Administrator for the City of Creve Coeur, Missouri, is nominated for the Gateway Lifetime Achievement Award for 2004. While it is recognized that a posthumous nomination for this recognition is unusual, the nominators suggest that the life of Kathleen Mansfield serves as a shining beacon of unselfish and professional public service to the entire St. Louis Region and an enviable example for all who strive to serve the public with honor.
Kathleen was born and raised in Berkeley, Missouri and her family has deep roots in the St. Louis area. She received a Bachelors degree from Southeast Missouri State University and a Master of Public Policy degree from Mississippi State University. She began her professional local government career with the City of Berkeley and was appointed as Assistant to the City Administrator for the City of Creve Coeur in 1987, serving three City Administrators over 16 years.
Her duties with the City during her tenure were many and varied, including human resources administrator, budget officer, management oversight over operating departments, liaison to several City boards and commissions, advising the City’s elected officials on critical issues, and working with employees and citizens. At all times, her service to the City and its citizens set the standard for professionalism and committed public service. A former Mayor of Creve Coeur said, “She was the most dedicated city employee that any city could hope to have. She had a personal relationship with every staff member, and they returned that attention with loyalty and kindness. Her one goal was to do what was right and what was best for the city of Creve Coeur. She was the most ethical person one could hope to have working for any organization. She was the consummate professional. Everybody who knew her will miss her terribly."
Included among Kathleen’s many accomplishments with Creve Coeur are:
- Development and regular updating of a comprehensive personnel policy for the City
- Primary responsibility for annual budget development that consistently received GFOA recognition for Outstanding Budget Presentation
- Development and management of an exemplery Performance Management Program for employee compensation and performance oversight
- Receipt of the 1995 Police Chief’s Award for crime prevention contributions to the community
- Primary liaison to the Creve Coeur Ethics Commission
- Developed and updated Creve Coeur’s first web page in partnership with her husband
- Chaired and implemented the City’s Information Technology Task Force
- Assisted the Tappmeyer Homestead Foundation in its efforts to preserve the historic Tappmeyer Homestead that was threatened by development
- Developed and implemented numerous administrative policies and procedures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the City’s service delivery systems
- Served as Interim City Administrator and interim department head during transition periods
- Wrote and edited the Creve Coeur citizen newsletter
- Served as a mentor and counselor to numerous City employees serving the City
This short listing of accomplishments only partially illustrates that respect and esteem that her fellow employees, elected officials, and citizens felt for Kathleen during the sixteen years that she served Creve Coeur. During that time, she set a high standard that will stand as an example for years to come.
In addition to her professional service in Creve Coeur, Kathleen Mansfield was also widely recognized and honored in the St. Louis Region and throughout Missouri for her public service contributions. The many honors and recognitions that came her way were a result of her active service to the public service community and her strong and unswerving commitment to excellence in all that she did. The most hated words in her vocabulary were “that’s good enough for government work” and she displayed her commitment by constantly encouraging her colleagues to better their skills and renew their commitments to public service.
Some of those regional honors and recognitions included:
- Serving as President of the St. Louis Area City Management Association
- Recognition as Missouri’s “Outstanding Local Government Assistant” in 1997 by the Missouri City Management Association
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the Missouri City Management Association in 2004
- Leadership in the Local Government CECH-UP Program at UM-St. Louis designed to expose middle school students to the local government environment
- President of the St. Louis Chapter of the International Personnel Management Association in 1995-96
- Served on the national Assistants Steering Committee of the International City/County Management Association
- Active in the CORO Foundation Midwestern Center for Women in Leadership
- Served on the Board of Directors of the Missouri City Management Association
More important than these specific accomplishments, however, was Kathleen’s positive influence on everyone she came in contact with. Kathleen loved being in local city government and most importantly loved sharing the profession with schoolkids and graduate students who wanted to follow her into her noble (but often misunderstood) profession. She was usually the first to invite new professionals into the "old boys club" and to welcome them into their professional associations. She also knew that through outreach and diversity, her chosen profession would be stronger than ever.
Kathleen was recognized as the primary mentor and support structure for numerous young local government professionals beginning their careers in the region. Over the past few months, many of these professionals have given testimony to her positive encouragement and career support as they have moved through their careers. Through hard work, personal sacrifice, and her ever-present love of people, she earned the universal respect and admiration of her professional colleagues in the region, across the State of Missouri, and nationally. These personal contacts and close relationships have directly impacted the quality of local government in our region and the commitment of local government professionals and elected officials to serve the public with integrity, honor, and excellence.
Kathleen Mansfield passed away on July 8, 2004 after a courageous four-year battle with scleroderma, a rare, chronic autoimmune (arthritis) disease that primarily affects females who are 30 to 50 years old. Kathleen was 44 at the time of her death. She leaves a loving husband, Rodger, and two sons, Jonathan and Alex.
Rodger Mansfield is currently establishing the Kathleen M. Mansfield Foundation to continue the legacy and commitment of Kathleen to excellence in local government. The Foundation will sponsor programs to educate young people about government and citizenship responsbilities, to encourage students and young professionals in the pursuit of local government careers, and to increase the knowledge among the general public about the value of quality local government in their lives. The Foundation is expected to begin operations in 2005.
This posthumous award is offered on behalf of the numerous people in the St. Louis Region whose lives were touched and made better by their friendship with and love for this remarkable woman. In her too-short 44 years, she had a disproportionate influence, in both local government and in life, in making our region a better place to live. We will always remember her example of excellence, commitment, courage, integrity, laughter, love of family, and uncompromising faith. Most of all, we will remember the many lessons that she taught by her life:
Kathleen taught us all how to laugh and how to love; how to win and how to lose.
She taught us how to live; and finally, she taught us how to die.
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