Sunday Sessions

Lindsey Cormack
Civic Readiness Starts Early: The Possibilities for Local Leaders
Sunday, October 26 | 10:15am-11:15am
In an era where trust in government is fragile and civic knowledge and know-how are at a low point, local leaders are uniquely positioned to shape how communities understand, access, and sustain local democracy. Drawing from the insights of How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It’s Up to You to Do It), this interactive session explores the routes to our current civic deficit, opportunities for improvement and some practical, day-to-day ways that elected and appointed officials can help to create a culture of civic readiness that begins in childhood and extends through ongoing interactions.
This session will unpack how officials within cities and counties can act as embolden civic educators. Beyond the local school systems, every local governmental touchpoint with the public offers opportunities to build civic fluency and citizen agency. Participants will work through how to model democratic participation in nonpartisan and developmentally appropriate ways across all ages of constituents and residents.
Participants will look at examples from schools and local governments that are successfully integrating civic education into community programming and further consider how these efforts align with long-term goals of civic stability, resilience, and informed participation of all segments of our communities. Our civic future does not have to be bleak and respect for our democratic institutions can flourish once again if we rededicate our profession and communities to model behaviors that prepare the next generation for civic readiness.
Monday Sessions

Alicia McKay
Local Legends: How to Make a Difference In Local Government with Alicia McKay
Monday, October 27 | 2:45pm-3:45pm
We are thrilled to announce Alicia McKay, New Zealand and Australia’s local government leadership expert, will join us at the ICMA conference. Alicia’s 2024 book Local Legends has quickly become a best-seller thanks to its sharp and practical insights on how elected and executive members can become more strategic and impactful for their Councils and communities.
In this keynote, Alicia will share her insights from working with dozens of New Zealand and Australian Councils to become more strategic and share practical tools for broadening your perspective, making better decisions, and building stronger relationships between governance and management.
Social Media