By Shelley Ridenour | Casa Grande Dispatch
Casa Grande City Manager Jim Thompson last month received the faculty associate award from the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University.
Thompson teaches in the Marvin Andrews Graduate Program in Urban Management at ASU.
The faculty associate award “recognizes the many professional people who are working in the public affairs area who contribute to our master’s program,” said Joan Sherwood, College of Public Programs director of communications.
Having a full-time city manager like Thompson work with students who plan careers in city government is beneficial to the college and its students, Sherwood said.
Casa Grande “has been an outstanding community” for ASU officials to work with, George Pettit said. Pettit is a professor of practice and the Marvin Andrews Graduate Program in Urban Management coordinator. Pettit brought 25 years of work for the town of Gilbert to his ASU post. “The bigger thing (Thompson) does is try to teach and mentor the next generation of city and county managers. He has been instrumental in that,” Pettit said. “What an incredible award for a guy who has a full-time job,” Casa Grande Mayor Bob Jackson said. Thompson was hired as the Casa Grande city manager in March 2004.
