2026 Annual Conference Thursday

Thursday, April 16

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: Rob DeLange, President Career Climb Consulting
The Multiplier Advantage
How the Best Leaders Get Twice the Contribution From Their W0rkforce
ROOM: Devereaux

9:30 am – 10:00 am

BREAK

10:00 am – 10:45 am

SESSION ONE: Why healthcare costs are rising and what employers like you are doing right now to get ahead of it

PRESENTERS: Bryce Burget,  benefits consultant, WTW and Ben Puetz, Colorado Market Leader, WTW
ROOM: Devereaux

SESSION TWO: Should King Cash Be Dethroned?

MODERATOR: City of Littleton: Kathleen Osher, Deputy City Manager
PANEL: Melissa Buck, Senior Vice President, Public Finance Group, UMB Ban, Jim Becklenberg, City Manager, City of Littleton,  Adrienne Burton, Director of Major Projects, City of Littleton, and Alisha Reis, Senior Deputy County Manager, Adams County
ROOM: Roosevelt

SESSION THREE: Reimagining the Workplace: How Pitkin County Adjusted to Hybrid Work, Infrastructure, and Equity Challenges

PRESENTERS: Ann Driggers, Financial and Administrative Officer, Pitkin County and Melissa Knight, Human Resources Director, Pitkin County
ROOM: Colorado

11:00 am – 11:45 am

SESSION ONE: If I Only Knew (Or Would Have Known)-Qualified Immunity and the Manager

PRESENTER: Sam Light, CIRSA Deputy Executive Director/General Counsel
ROOM: Devereaux

SESSION TWO: City of Vail

PRESENTER: TBD
ROOM: Roosevelt

SESSION THREE: Deepfake & Body Cam (The Dark Side and The Light Side of A/I)

PRESENTER: Kevin Wilkins, CIO, City of Fort Collins
ROOM: Colorado

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: TBD
ROOM: Devereaux

1:00 pm – 1:45 pm

SESSION ONE: Make a Difference – Leaders T.E.A.C.H.!

PRESENTER: Colonel Ted Studdard, USMC (RET)
ROOM: Devereaux

SESSION TWO: AI for Accurate and Accessible Government Resident Services

PRESENTER: Jonathan Wiersma , Chief Marketing Officer, Citibot
ROOM: Roosevelt

SESSION THREE: Recall!  Experiences from the Trenches – What You Need to Know 

MODERATOR: Joanne Spina, Senior Advisor, CCCMA
PANALISTS: Samantha Martin, County Administrator. Jackson County; Gloria Kaasch-Buerer, Town Manager, Silverton; and Kevin Bommer, Colorado Municipal League
ROOM: Colorado

2:00 pm – 2:45 pm

SESSION ONE: No Mountain Too High: Buildings and Facilities Infrastructure Planning for Colorado Communities

PRESENTER: Kate Sawyer, Business Development Manager, Performance Services; Patrick McGuckin, Business Development Manager, Performance Services; and Tim Weber, Principal Architect, Project Development Leader Performance Services; and Dave Koch, Vice President, Performance Services.
ROOM: Devereaux

SESSION  TWO: Civic Assembly Case Study: Community-led Problem Solving

PRESENTER: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager, City of Fort Collins & Rupa Venkatesh, Assistant City Manager, City of Fort Collins
ROOM: Roosevelt

SESSION THREE: Rural Wastewater Roundtable

PRESENTERS: Gillian Laycock, Town Manager, Town of Akron
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:  The Practical Playbook: How Cities & Counties Can Prepare for AI-Driven Healthcare

PRESENTER: Lorenzo Sierra, VP of Government & Education, Cigna Healthcare and Chuck Metturdharma, Head of AI & Divisional CIO, Cigna Healthcare
ROOM: Devereaux

SESSION TWO: In Lean Times, Lead with Care: The Case for Affinity Groups and Memberships

PRESENTERS: Joe Camacho, Chair of Juntos Colorado and Dr. Jasmine Pulce 
ROOM:  Roosevelt

SESSION THREE: Manager Mad-Libs … Sh!t You Can’t Make Up! 

PRESENTER: Jason Batchelor, Aurora City Manager; Trish Stiles, Bennett City Manager; Heather Balser, Lafayette Chief Financial Officer; and Michelle Halstead, Arapahoe County Director, Commissioners’ Office
ROOM: Colorado

4:30 pm – 5:00 pm

DEI Mixer
ROOM: Garden/Veranda

5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

RECEPTION
ROOM: Patio (weather dependent)

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