2026 Annual Conference Friday

Friday, April 17

7:30 am – 8:15 am

BREAKFAST: Meet with colleagues and enjoy breakfast

ROOM: Lobby

ALUMNI BREAKFAST: University of Colorado Denver, School of Public Affairs

ROOM: Roosevelt

SENIOR ADVISOR MEETING

ROOM: 1893 Board Room

8:30 am – 9:15 am

SESSION ONE: Say It Like You Mean It: Reaching Residents with Authenticity, Not Perfection

PRESENTER: Kim Newcomer, CEO and Co-Founder, Slate Communications

ROOM: Devereaux

SESSION TWO: Interviewing for Your Next Position: What To Expect!

MODERATOR: Greg Schulte, Senior Advisor, CCCMA

PANEL: Gloria Kaasch-Buerger, Town Manager, Town of Basalt; Shannon Vassen, City Manager, City of Fruita; Jenn Ooton, Assistant City Manager, City of Longmont; and Melissa Barker: V.P. of Practice Development, Duffy Group

ROOM: Roosevelt

SESSION THREE: All Aboard! Steering Your Boards, Commissions, and Committees in the Right Direction

MODERATOR: Megan Davis, Deputy City Manager, City of Lafayette

PANEL: Alex Nelson, Assistant to the City Manager, City of Lafayette; Marianne Schilling, Assistant City Manager, City of Wheat Ridge; Tim Dodd, Deputy City Manager, City of Englewood

ROOM: Colorado

9:30 am – 10:15 am

SESSION ONE: This Was Not Covered in Grad School!

PRESENTERS: Mary Jacobs, ICMA Managing Regional Director and Pam Davis, Assistant City Manager, City of Boulder; ICMA VP, Mountain Plains Region

ROOM: Devereaux

SESSION TWO: So What Do We Do About This AI Thing?

PRESENTER: Nick Kittle, Senior Advisor, Prophecy Gov and Jeremy Shackett, Head of GTM, Prophecy Gov

ROOM: Roosevelt

SESSION THREE: Navigating the Storm: Real-World Disaster Leadership

MODERATOR: Chris La May, North Central Regional Manager, Colorado Department of Local Affairs

PANEL: David J. Harris, Town Manager, Town of Pagosa Springs; Victoria Simonsen, Town Administrator, Town of Lyons; Ben Doon, Chief Administrative Officer, Costilla County and Riley Frazee, Southeast Area Field Manager, Colorado Homeland Security & Emergency Management

ROOM: Colorado

10:30 am – 11:30 pm

KEYNOTE: Dr. Richard Wobbekind
Colorado Economic Overview

ROOM: Devereaux

11:30 am – 12:00 pm

Membership Meeting
ROOM: Devereaux

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