Edmonds City Councilmember Neil Tibbott recently earned a certificate of municipal leadership from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC).

AWC’s Certificate of Municipal Leadership program recognizes city and town elected officials for accomplishing training in five core areas:

• Roles, responsibilities, and legal requirements
• Public sector resource management
• Community planning and development
• Effective local leadership
• Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging

“Being a city leader in Washington is a complex job,” said AWC CEO Deanna Dawson. “Through our CML program we are providing our elected officials with the knowledge they need to effectively operate within the law, plan for the future, secure and manage funds, foster strong relationships, and work to build more equitable communities.”

In his second term as a councilmember, Tibbott completed more than 30 hours of training to earn this distinction. He served as council president in 2023 and is currently the chair of the council’s public safety, planning, human services and personnel committee. Tibbott is also an officer for the executive committee of Snohomish County Cities.

AWC serves its members through advocacy, education, and services. Founded in 1933, AWC is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation that represents Washington’s 281 cities and towns before the state legislature, the state executive branch, and with regulatory agencies. AWC also provides training, data and publications, and programs such as the AWC Employee Benefit Trust, AWC Risk Management Service Agency, AWC Workers’ Comp Retro, AWC Drug and Alcohol Consortium, and AWC GIS Consortium.