Update from MARC

Lauren Palmer, Director of Local Government Services, Mid-America Regional Council (MARC)

Lauren Palmer joined the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) in 2018. MARC is the regional council of governments and Metropolitan Planning Organization for the nine-county, bi-state Kansas City region. MARC’s local government services department manages shared services including the Kansas City Regional Purchasing Cooperative, Government Training Institute, emergency management and homeland security services, regional 911, regional housing partnership, Communities for All Ages, First Suburbs Coalition, Managers Roundtable and more. Prior to joining MARC, Lauren worked for 14 years in local government administration, including serving as city administrator in Parkville, MO and assistant city manager in Independence, MO and Manhattan, KS. She began her local government career as a management intern and management analyst in Des Moines, IA. Lauren serves on the advisory board for the Greater Kansas City Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). She is an ICMA Credentialed Manager and was named a 2019 Woman of Distinction for Eastern Jackson County, Missouri. Lauren has a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master of Public Administration degree from Indiana University.