John Shay
City Manager, Ludington

John Shay was elected to the board of the Michigan Local Government Management Association in 2015. He is no stranger to local government, having served in the profession for almost 20 years. His first position was village manager for the Village of Almont, Mich. He held that post for five years before assuming the role of city manager in Ludington, a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River. This city of approximately 8,000 people is also the county seat of Mason County.

Prior to entering local government, Shay was in the insurance business. First he handled commercial auto claims for an insurance company in Boston. Later, he worked for Kenrick Corporation in Clarkston, Mich., where he handled municipal insurance claims for over 1,200 municipalities in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.

Shay received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Boston College in 1989, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Oakland University in 1997.

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