Current Vitae

Robert E. Lee DPA, ICMA-CM

Dr. Robert E. Lee (Bob) is a member of the faculty at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) where he serves as a MPA Coordinator and Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Political Science and Public Administration.

Before joining academia, Bob had a rewarding career in city management serving as the chief appointed official in three different forms of government: City Manager in Naples and City Manager in Gulfport (both Council/Manager forms of government in Florida); Assistant to Mayor in Lauderhill (one of Florida’s former Strong Mayor/Council forms of government); and Director of Administrative Services in Bellevue (one of Pennsylvania’s Council/General Manager forms of government).

Bob is Past President of the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA Suncoast Chapter) and a past recipient of ASPA’s Picot B. Floyd Award for Public Leadership. Bob is also a member of the International City and County Management Association (ICMA) Board on Graduate Education and is a Past President of the Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) and a recipient of the association’s Michael J Roberto Award for Career Development as well as recipient of three President Awards for contributions to FCCMA. Bob is also a former member of the Florida League of Cities (FLC) Board of Directors and Past Chairman of the FCCMA Past Presidents Committee which developed an online ethics curriculum for new FCCMA members.

Bob also serves as an Instructor for the FLC “Advanced Institute for Elected Officials”, the Florida Association of City Clerks (FACC) “Professional Education Academy” and the Florida Association of Special Districts (FASD) “Certification Program for Special Districts”. Bob’s firm, Local Government Advisors, Inc., consults with local governments on strategic planning, ethics, finance, and forms of government issues .

Bob authored and co-authored local government articles in State & Local Government Review, Compensation & Benefit Review, Journal of Public Affairs Education, and Public Management, as well as author 4 chapters in the Florida County Government Guide, and Co-Edited the latest edition of the International City and County Management Association (ICMA) book entitled The Effective Local Government Manager. Dr. Lee is the recipient of the Michael C. Robinson Prize for outstanding historical analysis that contributed to public policy and is the recent recipient of the ICMA Academic Award in Memory of Stephen B. Sweeney.

Bob has a B.A. and M.P.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and a D.P.A. from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale.