Wisconsin City/County Management Association

Leading can feel isolating, but forging bonds with fellow local government managers is essential for thriving. This conference absolutely delivered on that front. The theme, "Communication Revolution: Engaging Stakeholders in a Changing Economy," connected so many aspects of attendees day-to -day work. A huge round of applause to our phenomenal conference committee, spearheaded by Matt Heiser. We're also immensely grateful to our sponsors for their generous support of WMCA, and to our tireless staff, Dawn S. Peters, Alexandra Galindo, and Rachel Gorsuch Sorensen, for ensuring everything ran seamlessly. Above all, a heartfelt thank you to each and every attendee! We hope you left feeling energized and equipped with practical strategies to implement in your communities.

Wrapping up our conference is our closing keynote Elliot Eisenberg THE Bowtie Economist. Letting us know the current status of things out there. He truly makes a topic that can be tedious into something interesting and engaging.

Who can pull a crowd like this bright and early on a Friday morning? Jerry Deschane with the League of Wisconsin Municipalities and Mark O'Connell with WCA: Wisconsin Counties Association giving their legislative update. As always, relevant information to help us better under the climate of our greater work environment.

?? Know When to Hold'em & Know When to Fold'em... ?? We've been humming it all afternoon for the thematic presentation regarding records maintenance from Jennifer Flores and Krisztina Dommer, CPA with Lauterbach & Amen and Rebecca Ewald and Karl Warwick. Effective records maintenance and security is incredibly important for the outcome of your game!

A huge benefit of our conferences is getting together with people who "get it!" Roundtable discussions this afternoon brought together small, medium, and large communities to discuss issues that are unique to size.

Panel discussions are a great way to get lots of perspectives about an issue in a short time! Concurrent panel discussions currently about marketing a referendum and engaging youth in local government. Cory Poris Plasch is facilitating a discussion with James Madlom and Mia Tripi with Mueller Communications, LLC and City of Sun Prairie representatives Aaron Oppenheimer, ICMA-CM and Caitlin Stene, SHRM-SCP about their successful referendum marketing plan. Members of the WCMA Talent Recruitment committee, Gabe Altenbernd, Travis Coenen, Tyler Burkart, and Andy Pederson are outlining tangible ways to get more youth involved in governance.

Chuck Gallagher returns to the stage after rave reviews this morning, now delving into the heart of the AI Revolution. Attendees are captivated as he shares his insights on this transformative technology. #AI #Innovation #LocalGovLeaders #Conference

Hello Sponsors!! Behind every successful conference are our dedicated sponsors. If you're at the conference be sure to stop by, say hi, and have them mark your BINGO card! Find more info about WCMA's sponsors here: https://lnkd.in/gZ84f-Gn #Partnerships #Sponsors #Conference

The first concurrent sessions are underway. Samuel Aronson is giving insights into intergenerational leadership - from boomers to zoomers. While Kayla Thorpe and Harry Allen are giving a practical overview of levy limit referendums. Attendees will surely find things to bring back to their communities.

A warm sense of welcome filled the room as WCMA President Will Jones opened the 2025 Winter Conference, expressing appreciation for everyone's presence and all those who made it happen. Conference Committee Chair Matt Heiser then introduced Chuck Gallagher, who began his keynote address discussing the connection between choices and their consequences. Get ready, because Gallagher isn't here for small talk – he's diving headfirst into the raw, unfiltered truth.