Two puppy play dates, four keynote speakers, twenty sessions, and countless takeaways.
The ICMA Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon, was filled with so much energy, insight, and FUN. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many seasoned city managers and up-and-comers in the profession. The people I met and spent time with were incredible, and so were the presentations.
I wanted to dip my toe in a little bit of everything and ended up going to a variety of sessions, including:
- Scalable Solution to Address Homelessness and Recidivism
- Empowering and Equipping Residents to Solve Community Issues
- Benchmarking for Service Improvements
- Service Delivery in the Post COVID-19 World
- Reshaping Policing with a Mental Health Co-response Program
- Creating a Culture of High Performance Through Employee Engagement
- Leading in a VUCA World
- Planning for the Future After 30 Years of Reactionary Policies and Practices
- Actionable Data: Providing Services for People Experiencing Homelessness and
- Road Recycling and Improvement Program
The experience was more than I could’ve asked for, and I do not doubt that this has helped me and will benefit my organization. I plan to take what I’ve learned back to the City of Vallejo and spread (and apply) the takeaways and ideas.
The Restart Conference was a great opportunity to reconnect with the why behind public service, reenvision programs, service delivery, and leadership through the progressive work of other organizations, and yes, restart.
I am so grateful to MMANC and the scholarship sponsor Mission Square Retirement for the opportunity to hear from knowledgeable speakers, connect with amazing professionals, and continue to develop through the ICMA Annual Conference.
I feel inspired, and like I hit the “Restart” button. I look forward to what’s ahead for our profession.
