Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan, ALM immediate past president, delivered the 2026 ALM graduation and awards ceremonies commencement speech in Mobile on October 20, 2026.
MOBILE, AL – The Alabama League of Municipalities hosted its annual graduation and awards ceremonies on October 20, 2026, at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center. Over 90 municipal officials graduated and received awards from participating in the Certified Municipal Official (CMO) program.
In accordance with the Alabama Municipal Official Training Act, which took effect on January 1, 2025, all non-certified mayors and councilmembers are required to complete 40 hours of training; 20 core and 20 non-core, during their term in office. Each certified mayor and councilmember who has successfully completed and received a basic CMO certification will be required to receive five hours of training credits annually going forward.
“With the world continuously changing, lifelong learning is essential for the betterment of our communities, and the Alabama League of Municipalities remains dedicated to providing intentional, engaging opportunities for municipal officials to learn best practices and skills to be their best selves,” ALM Executive Director Greg Cochran said. “The League is proud to celebrate 98 graduates of our Certified Municipal Official program for working hard over the year to earn these distinguished certifications that will allow them to better serve their cities and towns.”
Throughout the year, officials receive formal classroom training, in-person and through online courses in foundational government operations and best practices to abide by state laws. Municipal officials have the incentive of obtaining three different levels of CMO certification after completing 40, 80 and 120 credit hours of training as well as graduating. This year’s event featured 50 certified municipal officials, 41 advanced certified municipal officials and eight CMO emeriti, along with 11 CMO Tier II emeriti honorees and one CMO Tier III emeritus honoree that have received more than 120 credit hours of training. Twelve of the graduates received both their basic and advanced certifications simultaneously.
ALM also presented Certified Municipal Achievement (CMA) Awards to three municipalities —Glencoe, Hokes Bluff and Shorter. The CMA Awards were created in 2018 to honor municipalities where the municipality’s mayor and full council obtain at least 40 credit hours individually, if not more, within a year.
As of graduation, more than 5,200 municipal officials have participated in the League’s training in municipal government since its inception 32 years ago.
View the full list of 2026 CMO graduates and CMA Awards here.