2025 Annual Conference Thursday

Thursday, April 24

Registration All Day
Taft Room

7:30 am – 8:15 am

BREAKFAST: Meet with colleagues and enjoy breakfast 
ROOM: Lobby
COFFEE AND CONNECTION: Assistant and Deputy Gathering
ROOM: Roosevelt

8:30 am – 9:30 am

KEYNOTE
Keynote Speaker: Jason Youngblood, CIGNA
Navigating the Burdening Challenges of the Behavioral Health Epidemic
ROOM: Devereaux

9:30 am – 10:00 am

BREAK

10:00 am – 10:45 am

SESSION ONE: The Power of Advice: Financial Planning for the Public Sector

PRESENTERS: Empower: Corey Vegas, Regional Sales Director- Government markets, Meredith Perez, Director, Financial Wellness & Financial Planning. Joan Stoddard, CFP, Financial Planner, and Wendy Woods, CFP, Financial Planner
ROOM: Devereaux

SESSION TWO: Regional Housing Strategies

FACILITATOR: City of Littleton: Kathleen Osher, Deputy City Manager
PANEL: City of Littleton: Julie Lathan, Housing Policy Analyst; Housing Colorado: Brian Rossbert, Executive Director; DRCOG: Shiela Lynch, Director of Regional Planning and Development; and Pitkin County: Kara Silbernagel, Deputy County Manager
ROOM: Roosevelt

SESSION THREE: Compressed Workweek (4/32 Pilot) – Results & Lessons Learned

PRESENTERS: City of Golden: Scott Vargo, City Manager; Carly Lorentz, Deputy City Manager; and Kristen Meier, Human Resources Director
ROOM: Colorado

11:00 am – 11:45 am

SESSION ONE: AI in Action: How Local Governments Are Integrating AI Into Operations

FACILITATOR: DOLA: Todd Leopold, Central Regional Manager 
PANEL: Pitkin County: Kara Silbernagel, Deputy County Manager; Madison AI: Heyden Enochson, Head of Marketing; DOLA: Patrick Rondinelli – Southwest Regional Manager 

ROOM: Devereaux

SESSION TWO: Volunteerism & Interest Groups: Two Ways to Help Staff Engage with Others

PRESENTER: Englewood: Tim Dodd, Deputy City Manager 
ROOM: Roosevelt

SESSION THREE: Accelerating Policies and Programs for Community Resilience and Emissions Reductions

PRESENTERS: Colorado Energy Office: Adam Berry and Brittney Vancuran
ROOM: Colorado

SESSION FOUR: Join the Veterans Committee! Learn About Veterans Service in Local Government in Colorado
(This session will end at 11:30 am)

PRESENTER: CCCMA’s Colorado Veterans Leading Government (COVLG) Committee 
ROOM: 1893 Board Room

11:45 pm – 12:45 pm

CONFERENCE LUNCH: Meet with colleagues and enjoy a buffet lunch

ROOM: Grand Lobby

CWLG LUNCH: (pre ticketed event)

KEYNOTE
Keynote Speaker: Nichole Sterling, My Town AI
Women and AI – Bridging the Gender Gap + Accelerating Innovation by Building TogetHER
ROOM: Devereaux

1:00 pm – 1:45 pm

SESSION ONE: Creating Resilient, Inclusive Civic Spaces: Northglenn’s NetZero City Hall Story

PRESENTERS: Northglenn: Mara Owen, Sustainability Coordinator; and Brook Svoboda, Director of Planning and Development
ROOM: Devereaux

SESSION TWO: Legal and Risk Considerations for Local Government Use of AI 

PRESENTER: CIRSA: Sam Light, CIRSA Deputy Executive Director/General Counsel; and Nick Cotton-Baez, Associate General Counsel 
ROOM: Roosevelt

SESSION THREE: Turn Water Leaks into Mountains of Savings: Performance Contracting Can Plug the Leaks and Elevate Your Water Infrastructure

PRESENTERS: Ryan Quigley, National Water/Wastewater Infrastructure Specialist
ROOM: Colorado

2:00 pm – 2:45 pm

SESSION ONE: Navigating Ethical Crossroads: Advice from a Panel of Experts

FACILITATOR: ICMA: Jessica Cowles, Ethics Director
PANEL: Washington County, Oregon: Tanya Ange, ICMA President, Erie: Melissa Wiley, Deputy Town Manager, Adams County: Brian Staley, Public Works Director
ROOM: Devereaux

SESSION  TWO: Roadmap to Electric Vehicle Adoption in Your Community

PRESENTERS: Veregy: Oscar Rangel and Scott Wisner
ROOM: Roosevelt

SESSION THREE: Innovating from Within: AI Solutions for Local Government Challenges – A Joint Presentation by the Town of Nederland and My Town AI

PRESENTERS: Town of Nederland: Jonathan Cain, Town Administrator and My Town AI: Nichole Sterling, CEO
ROOM: Colorado

2:45 pm – 3:30 pm

EXHIBIT BREAK: Visit our Partners and Sponsors in the exhibit area. There will be giveaways and useful information for your organizations!

3:30 pm – 4:15 pm

SESSION ONE: Vibe-checking Your City: How Branding, Storytelling, and Placemaking Enhance Your City’s Identity

PRESENTER: Slate Communications: Kim Newcomer CEO, Founder
ROOM: Devereaux

SESSION TWO: Keeping Citizens Informed – How Parker Responded to an Initiative to Cut Sales Tax

PRESENTERS: Parker: Michelle Kivela, Town Manager; Michael Lawson, Assistant Town Manager – Operations; Emily Hogan, Administration
ROOM:  Roosevelt

SESSION THREE: Inclusive Leadership in Action

PRESENTER: Adams County: Brian Staley, Director of Public Works
ROOM: Colorado

4:30 pm – 5:00 pm

DEI Mixer
ROOM: Garden/Veranda

5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

RECEPTION
ROOM: Patio (weather dependent)

6:45 pm – 8:30 pm

DINNER MEETUP
Pre Registration Required

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