Avondale's city manager, Ron Corbin, is set to bring his two decades of municipal management experience to the classroom, as he steps up to serve as an adjunct instructor at Northern Arizona University (NAU). Come January 2026, Corbin will be enlightening students in Personnel Management for NAU's Public Administration Program, all the while maintaining his city manager duties.
Corbin is no stranger to juggling roles. While aiming to ideally balance both his administrative responsibilities and teaching commitments, he'll join the ranks as part of NAU's Tempe cohort, a program tailored for those already entrenched within their professional careers. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to teach and give back to the profession that has shaped my career,” Corbin expressed in a statement obtained by Avondale’s news release. “Supporting the education of future public administrators is an important investment in strong, effective local government.”
Corbin’s academic path is a storied one, with a Master of Administration with Distinction from NAU under his belt and bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Education from Eastern Washington University. His professional story is woven through various chapters of public service, including a near four-year tenure as city manager for the City of Cottonwood before he stepped into Avondale's administrative shoes in November 2022.
His affiliation with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) signifies his continued commitment to the growth and development within his field. Students at NAU can surely to expect to receive a blend of theory and real-world insights from Corbin's extensive personal experience in employee engagement, training, and strategic performance management.
