In 2017, I attended a study abroad program in Belgium, where I was introduced to the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC). The following year, I attended my first IIMC Annual Conference in Norfolk, Virginia, and I have only missed two conferences since, due to COVID-19 and international travel restrictions. In 2019, I attended the conference in Birmingham and also participated in the study abroad program in England.

In 2020, I successfully ran for the position of Region XI Director, a role I held with great pleasure until May 2024. During this time, I was responsible for fostering stronger cooperation between the UK and the Netherlands. One of my initiatives was to arrange for the study abroad program to visit the Netherlands, which we successfully organized in 2023. During the trip, participants visited my council chambers, toured my hometown, and visited a farm that was built on land previously owned by my great-grandfather, who had served as a counselor. A highlight for many participants was a cheese and wine tasting at the farm of a close friend of mine and a private visit to Parliament for a small group.

One of my initiatives as Region XI Director was to assist in restructuring the way European courses were awarded points toward the CMC and MMC designations. Together with the educational department, we worked on a system that will enable more European clerks to achieve these prestigious designations. I’ve been deeply involved in organizing exchanges between the Netherlands and the UK. In 2021 a group of UK students attended my council meeting digitally as part of their education and teamed up with some of my counselors. In February 2022, I delivered training on three levels of the Community Governance course in Leicester in the UK, and in that same year, I organized the field trip to the Netherlands and help students find clerks they could partner up with for a short internship.