Valerie Lemmie

Valerie is the Director of Exploratory Research at the Kettering Foundation. Prior to this position, she served as City Manager for Petersburg, Virginia, Dayton, and Cincinnati, Ohio. She was Commissioner, Public Utility Commission of Ohio; District Director and Acting Chief of Staff for Congressman Turner (Ohio's 10th District). She also served as an Adjunct Professor at Howard University and the University of Dayton and as a Fellow at the Center for Municipal Management at George Washington University. She is Chair of the Dayton History Board of Directors; Board Member, Dayton Foundation; Immediate Past Chair, National Civic League Board; Trustee and Treasurer of Initiatives of Change, USA; Executive Committee Member, Deliberative Democracy Consortium; Vice Chair, Ohio Matriots Board of Directors; and Past Board Chair and Fellow, National Academy of Public Administration. She holds a B. A. in political science and urban sociology from the University of Missouri and an M.A. in Urban Affairs/Public Policy Planning from Washington University. Valerie is a published author and noted speaker on democratic governance and civic engagement.