Roger Kemp has worked in the public service for nearly 30 years. He has been a municipal Chief Executive Officer, Visiting Scholar, Fellow, and Senior Adjunct Professor (among other titles) in four states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York) during his career. He has taught graduate seminars at leading universities on both coasts while serving as a City Manager. Highlights of Dr. Kemp's career are provided below.
Roger has served as a municipal Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of cities located in California, Connecticut, and New Jersey. He served as City Manager of Meriden, CT (for nearly 12 years), and City Manager of Clifton, NJ (for nearly 7 years). These cities are among the largest municipalities in the Northeast with the council-manager form of government.
He is active in the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), the National Civic League (NCL), and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). Dr. Kemp is also involved with the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), serving as a member of its nationally-recognized Site Visit Team (SVT). The SVT consists of a Dean, a Professor, and a Senior Practitioner. NASPAA accreditation is the highest form of recognition in the U.S. for graduate-level programs in public administration.
Additionally, Dr. Kemp has been a professor at major public and private universities, including California State University, the University of California, Golden Gate University, Rutgers University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Capella University, Central Connecticut State University, Charter Oak State College, and the University of Connecticut. He also taught a workshop on "Cutback Management" at Harvard University while attending the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.
He has written several books, edited over a dozen volumes, and been a contributing author to numerous books and encyclopedias covering various facets of local government. Additionally, he has had over 100 articles published in leading professional journals, both national and international. Roger holds advanced degrees in both Public and Business Administration (MBA, MPA, as well as a PhD). He is also a graduate of the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Copies of all of Dr. Kemp's books are available at leading libraries on both coasts of the U.S. West Coast: Golden Gate University, San Diego State University, and the University of California at Berkeley. East Coast: Harvard University, Yale University, and the International City/County Management Asscoation. The addresses of these libraries are listed under the "Selected Books" link on this website.
Roger Kemp is a Credentialed City Managers, a designation respected throughout the world. This professional designation (ICMA-CM) is granted to selected members by the International City/County Management Association based upon their education and experience, adherence to high standards of integrity, and a commitment to continuous learning and professional development. This professional recognition designation must be approved annually by ICMA's Credentialing Advisory Board. Roger has held the designation ICMA-CM since 2002.
He is also a 2003 graduate of the Advanced Government Finance Institute, sponsored by the Government Finance Officers Association, Chicago, IL, and the School of Business, University of Wisconsin, Madison. This institute provides senior-level executives from state and local governments the opportunity to discuss and analyze long-term issues impacting the field of public financial management. This program is limited to the 50 most qualified individuals from throughout the United States and Canada each year.
Dr. Kemp is also a 2006 graduate of the Academy for International Development, sponsored by the International City/County Management Association, Washington, DC. He is presently doing research on several future books on such subjects as "cities and culture," "cities and water," "cities and growth management," and "documents of American democracy," among other volumes not yet announced.
During his career, Roger has authored, edited, and been a contributing author to nearly 50 books and encyclopedias dealing with cities and the future. The annual royalties from Roger's books are donated to public nonprofit professional organizations.
Most recently, Dr. Kemp was honored by receiving the "Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award" for 2007 from the School of Public Affairs at San Diego State University. This award is presented annually to an "outstanding graduate" of SDSU's MPA Program based on his/her "career achievements," and is voted upon by the faculty of the School of Public Affairs.
Dr. Kemp presently serves as a Senior Adjunct Professor, Golden Gate University, San Francisco, CA, and as a Visiting Scholar, Capella University, Minneapolis, MN. He also served as a Fellow at The Academy of Political Science, New York City, NY. Roger is the President of Kemp Consulting, LLC. His company provides consulting services to municipal governments.
Roger lives in Meriden, CT. Meriden is commonly known as the "geographic center" of the State of Connecticut. It is located between New Haven, home of Yale University, and Hartford, the State's Capitol. It is also conveniently situated equi-distant between the City of Boston and New York City.