HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) – A national organization focused on advancing professional local government through leadership, management, innovation and ethics has bestowed a much-deserved recognition upon a long-time Harrisonburg leader.

According to a release, Harrisonburg City Manager Ande Banks has officially received the Credentialed Manager designation from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) in acknowledgement of his dedicated work in local government and passionate belief in the values and morals key to supporting the community he serves.

“Civil service is a calling in all its forms,” Banks said. “I am deeply humbled and honored to attain the ICMA credential and look forward to continuing to challenge myself to pursue the highest ideals in government leadership.”

ICMA members must have significant experience as a senior management executive in local government; have earned a degree, preferably in public administration or a related field; and demonstrated a commitment to high standards of integrity and to lifelong learning and professional development in order to be considered for the Credentialed Manager designation.

Banks, with a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from James Madison University and a Bachelor of Science in History from Eastern Mennonite University, started in local government with the City of Harrisonburg in 2009 as the City’s director of special projects and grants management. He later became the City’s assistant to the city manager, and then deputy city manager, before being appointed as city manager in 2022. In addition to his degrees, Banks attended the Senior Executive Institute at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service in 2019 and achieved a Certificate in Local Government Management from Virginia Tech in 2013. In addition to ICMA, Banks is a member of the Virginia Local Government Management Association, where he serves as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee and is past chair of the organization’s Deputies, Assistants and Others (DAO) Committee.

Banks is co-chair of the MPA Advisory Board for JMU and is professional advisor for the student chapter of ICMA at the university.

“I couldn’t be prouder of Ande for this accomplishment – having worked with him for many years I can say that he is not only without a doubt deserving of this honor but is an example of what city managers across our country should be working hard to emulate,” Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed said. “Ande dedicates himself to making our community a better place every day, and I can’t imagine a Harrisonburg without him.”