Member Updates

Career Development/Mentoring – Ken Filipiak, City of Mentor

Ken Filipiak is the City Manager of Mentor, Ohio and has decades of experience in the Cities of Defiance and Oregon.  He has always made space and time to share his wisdom with aspiring professional managers as they work their way into the profession.  Mr. Filipiak is a past OCMA President who manages a thriving community of more than 47,000 residents.  He is a regional and state leader, and a subject matter expert in the core competencies of city management and economic development.  Mr. Filipiak always has time for learning leaders and is humble, inviting and embodies the character of a servant leader who seeks to build up others.  Mr. Filipiak is a Bowling Green State University graduate.

Distinguished Early Career Award – Dan Wendt, City of Vandalia

Dan Wendt is the City Manager for the City of Vandalia and in his three years in this position, has thrust the City of Vandalia into the spotlight as a regionally known community.  Mr. Wendt has worked diligently to gain the trust and confidence of Council, staff, and the community.  He has tenaciously, and successfully, tackled modern, lingering hurdles of community and economic development in our community.  When Mr. Wendt started his time with Vandalia, he employed a clear set of goals that would inevitably bring Vandalia to the next level of local government service.  He has established a new standard for professional management and through the rebranding project and the implementation of the City -Wide Policy Goals.  Mr. Wendt is a graduate of Bowling Green University.

Career Achievement – Tom Homan, City of Delaware

Thomas Homan has been Delaware City Manager since 1999. As the City Manager, Tom has oversight of a full-service city, which includes police, fire, a municipal airport, and a water and wastewater utility. A graduate of both Michigan State University’s James Madison College and New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.  Homan previously held positions in Connecticut and New York prior to joining the City of Delaware, Ohio.  He is an accredited member of ICMA, has been an ICMA Member for 40 years and was the Co-Chair of the 2022 ICMA Conference Committee hosted in Columbus.  Under his leadership, the City has received many regional and national awards for its quality of services.  Delaware is a two-time Ohio Magazine Best Hometown, a Money Magazine Top 50 Best Places to Live in America and boasts a national-honored downtown recognized by the American Planning Association.