David E. Morrison, M.D.
Morrison is a psychiatrist who has worked with city managers for 40 years. He began at the Menninger Foundation where he designed the seminar, Toward Understanding Human Motivation and Behavior for City Managers. That seminar is still delivered by Menninger’s.
In 1978, Morrison started a group of city managers in Chicago’s north shore cities that met monthly to discuss the challenges of the work. Much of the discussions were about city councils’ and citizens’ interesting and often infuriating behavior. That group has continued to this day, with new managers joining as old members retired or moved out of the area. Two ICMA Presidents and three ICMA Board Members have been members of that group.
Through the decade of the ‘80’s, Morrison consulted to the City of Phoenix. In the ‘90’s, he consulted to the City Manager of Highland Park on a very aggressive corporate campaign by a rebellious part of the police union. To everyone’s delight, except the rebellious officers, that was completed, with things back to normal and a stronger police department.
In the last several years, Morrison Associates developed a six-day leadership academy for department heads and city managers to address the challenges of local government leadership in the 21st century.
Daven Morrison, M.D.
Supporting executive leadership development requires an advisor to understand the human side of management. Leaders retain Daven and his team to deal with the tougher obstacles that get in the way of execution. Affects or emotions are an inevitable obstacle for managers at work. The task and deadlines have no mercy on people and managers stand in the cross-hairs. Affects are our “hard-wired” emotions and as such they underlie all human motivation.
Working on Morrison Associates' projects since 1980, Daven began as a full-time consultant in 1996. As Director of Medical Services and Director of Individual Consultations, his primary roles include leading individual consultations for executives, facilitating seminars, and developing new services. His current suite of education programs are integrated into a 12-week, 30-hour Leadership Academy in which judgment, teams, power, feedback, and self-awareness are tied to leadership. His courses have been adapted for internal training and education programs at these corporations: Invesco, Food Lion, Hospira, Kraft and Motorola.
Dr. Morrison serves on the Board of the Tomkins’ Institute of Applied Studies of Emotion, Cognition, and Motivation. He is also a past President of the Academy of Organizational and Occupational Psychiatry, and a member of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry where he is on the Committee for Work and Organizations.
Daven Morrison, M.D., is a board certified psychiatrist, and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Chicago Medical School.
David M. Limardi
MPA, ICMA-CM, Managing Director, Limardi Consulting, LLC
Mr. Limardi graduated from Marquette University in 1975 and received a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas in 1978.
He began his career in 1977 as an intern for the Village of Wilmette, Illinois, remaining in Wilmette five years, rising to the position of Assistant Village Manager. In 1982, at the age of 29, he became the Village Manager for the Village of Lincolnshire, Illinois. Ten years later in 1993, he was appointed to the position of City Manager for the City of Highland Park, Illinois and served in that position for 19 years. He recently left Highland Park and is now the Midwest Regional Director for the International City/County Management Association. He received numerous awards during his 34+-year career in professional local government management.
Mr. Limardi served as the President of the International City/County Management Association 2008-2009. In November 2009, Mr. Limardi was inducted as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
Mr. Limardi is a successful speaker and author. He is as an Adjunct Professor for the Northwestern University School of Continuing Education in the Masters of Public Policy and Administration Program. He also taught “The Ethics of the Public Administrator” for Northern Illinois University.
Robert R. Kiely, Jr.
MPA, ICMA-CM
A 1979 graduate of Lake Forest College, Bob received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas in 1981. His first job as a local government professional was with The City of Lake Forest from 1980 to 1982 when he served as Assistant to the City Manager. His professional development continued in his role as Assistant to the Village Manager with the Village of Wilmette, Illinois, where he served for four years. In 1986, he assumed his first Manager’s position when he became City Administrator for the City of Prospect Heights, Illinois, which he held until 1990.
Bob returned to Lake Forest in 1990 when the City Council appointed him City Manager. During his 28 years as the City’s key administrator, Bob worked with ten Mayors and over 100 City Aldermen to ensure the delivery of high-quality services while maintaining the long-term financial stability of the City. Bob retired from Lake Forest in January, 2019.
Mr. Kiely served as Co-Chairman of the Illinois Municipal League’s Legislative Committee in 2014 and served as Chairman from 2011-2013. From 2012-2014 he served as Midwest Vice President of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA); the Treasurer of the Northwest Municipal Conference from 2009-2012; President of the Illinois City/County Management Association (ILCMA) from 2005-2006; and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Risk Management Agency (IRMA). He was an adjunct professor in the Continuing Studies Program at Northwestern University and is a founding member of the Midwest Leadership Institute (MLI).
He lives in Lake Forest with his wife, Alison, and has three grown children and five grandchildren.
Dawn S. Peters, MPA
Assistant Director, Center for Governmental Studies, Northern Illinois University
Dawn joined the Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) at Northern Illinois University in September 2001 as a Research Associate in the areas of economic and community development and association management. She presently serves as an Assistant Director at the CGS and is in charge of association management. Dawn currently serves as executive director of the Illinois City/County Management Association (ILCMA), a statewide association with over 750 members, American Planning Association Illinois Chapter (APA-IL), and the Illinois Local Government Lawyers Association (ILGL), a statewide association of approximately 190 members. She also oversees the Midwest Leadership Institute and other strategic initiatives and services aimed at units of local government, state and federal agencies, and non-profit organizations.
Prior to joining the Center, Dawn was the Coordinator of the Master of Public Administration program at Northern Illinois University.
Dawn holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (MPA) and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from Northern Illinois University.
