Valerie Lemmie

An adept strategic thinker with more than 35 years of experience in solving public problems and controversial issues in governmental organizations and local communities, Lemmie joined the Kettering Foundation as director of exploratory research after a distinguished career in public service. Lemmie has served as city manager for the cities of Petersburg, Virginia, Dayton and Cincinnati, Ohio; commissioner on the Public Utility Commission of Ohio; and district director and acting chief of staff for Congressman Turner (Ohio’s 10th District). Lemmie has also been an adjunct professor at Howard University and the University of Dayton and a fellow at the Center for Municipal Management at George Washington University.

Lemmie currently serves as the immediate past chair of the board of directors for the National Civic League, board chair of Dayton History; board trustee and treasurer of Initiatives of Change, USA; executive committee member of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium; and board member, Ohio Matriots. She is a fellow and past board chair of the National Academy of Public Administration and has served on numerous local, federal, and international boards and commissions. A published author, Lemmie is a noted speaker on democratic civic engagement and the complementary production of public work.

Lemmie received her BA in political science and urban sociology from the University of Missouri and an MA in urban affairs/public policy planning from Washington University. She is also a graduate of the Senior Executive Institute, University of Virginia and the Executive Leadership Institute sponsored by the National Forum for Black Public Administrators.