Erica L. Manuel

Erica L. Manuel is CEO and executive director of the Institute for Local Government (ILG), the nonprofit education and training affiliate of the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties, and the California Special Districts Association. Together with those associations, ILG serves staff and elected officials at over 2,500 local agencies, focusing on four main pillars of work: leadership & governance, public engagement, sustainable & resilient communities, and workforce & civics education. Prior to joining ILG in 2019, she served in senior and executive level leadership roles at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Edelman Public Relations, among others. She is committed to public service, leadership, volunteerism, and authentic community engagement. She serves on numerous statewide boards, committees, and councils, and was named one of the Sacramento Business Journal’s “40 Under 40,” one of Sacramento Magazine’s “Top 10 Women to Watch,” and Comstock’s Magazine’s “Top 19 Women Leaders” in 2020. She has also been awarded numerous certificates of recognition by the California State Assembly and California State Senate for her public engagement efforts. She currently serves on the advisory boards of California 100 and the California Resilience Project, among others. In her role as a special district leader, she received numerous accolades and recognition from the American Public Power Association, the Western Energy Institute, and more. She is also a senior fellow with the American Leadership Forum Mountain Valley chapter. She studied at Stanford University, Boston College’s Carroll Graduate School of Management, and Northwestern University’s Kellogg Center for Nonprofit Management.