OLYMPIA, Wash. — Maple Valley City Manager Laura Philpot has been appointed to the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Board of Directors. Philpot, the Incoming President of the Washington City/County Management Association (WCMA), was appointed to represent WCMA on the AWC board at the association’s annual conference in Kennewick, Washington, held from June 24-27, 2025.
“We are thrilled to welcome Laura to the AWC Board of Directors,” said AWC CEO Deanna Dawson. “Laura is an outstanding leader who is respected by her peers from across the state and beyond for her commitment to public service and knowledge of issues impacting cities.”
“I’m honored to contribute to the important work AWC is doing on behalf of cities and towns in our state,” said Philpot. “Serving on the AWC board provides a great opportunity to build partnerships and shape policies that will strengthen our community.”
The AWC Board of Directors is the association’s governing body. The board is comprised of 25 directors, 23 of whom are mayors or city councilmembers from Washington cities or towns, and two non-elected city officials representing WCMA.
Philpot has been the Maple Valley City Manager since 2016 and prior to that served as the city’s Public Works and Community Development Director. She has also worked for the cities of Sammamish and Auburn, and prior to that worked in the private sector as a project engineer. She has previously served as the City Manager representative to the board of the Sound Cities Association.
Philpot was elected Incoming President of the WCMA by its membership of managers, administrators, and assistants of municipalities, counties and other government agencies in Washington state. WCMA was founded in 1959 and is a non-profit association whose purpose is to increase the knowledge, proficiency, quality and professionalism of local government management by providing education, information, and support services to members and their agencies.
More than 500 officials representing 162 cities and towns across Washington attended the AWC Annual Conference to learn about issues critical to the success of cities. Attendees participated in over 45 educational sessions on topics ranging from legal roles and responsibilities to budgeting, infrastructure planning, collaborative leadership, our state’s economic outlook, emerging technologies and more.
Founded in 1933, Association of Washington Cities (AWC) is a nonprofit corporation that represents Washington’s 281 cities and towns. AWC’s mission is to build connections between Washington state’s diverse cities and towns, while providing their members with the support needed to thrive through delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling programs, and nonpartisan advocacy. Membership is voluntary; however, AWC consistently maintains 100 percent participation from Washington’s 281 cities and towns.
A complete list of the AWC Board of Directors is available on the association’s website, and more information about WCMA can be found on their website.