2022 NACo Annual Conference & Exposition

This all-day event includes topics on digital transformation, removing barriers, creating builders for the future and success stories from counties using technology to improve service delivery for internal operations and county residents.

All first-time attendees are welcome to join us to learn more about NACo and how to make the most of the Annual Conference. Due to limited space, this session is open to county officials and staff attending their first NACo conference.

Join the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee to hear from federal and industry partners on important issues. Members will explore and discuss committee priorities as they relate to federal policymaking including the 2023 Farm Bill and regulations such as Waters of the U.S.

Join the Justice and Public Safety Policy Steering Committee for discussions with our federal and industry partners.

Join the Public Lands Policy Steering Committee for discussions with federal land management agencies on better management, wildfire risk reduction, public access and economic opportunities.

The Human Services and Education Policy Steering Committee will convene at the Adams County Human Services Center for an interactive tour and an overview of innovative human services programs. Along with presentations from our hosts, committee members will discuss the future of human service delivery and receive a federal policy update on key priorities. Members will consider and vote on proposed policy resolutions and platform changes to guide NACo’s advocacy efforts before Congress, the White House and federal agencies. Before returning to the Gaylord, the committee will visit Adams County’s Homes for Hope emergency foster homes. Note: This full-day meeting will occur off-site. Transportation and lunch will be provided. 

Join the Community, Economic & Workforce Development Policy Steering Committee for discussions with our federal and industry partners to learn more about topics of interest to the committee, including housing affordability, homelessness, economic development, job training and federal workforce development programs.

Join the Health Steering Committee to hear from federal and industry partners on important health policy issues and best practices related to health care, public health, behavioral and mental health and long-term care.

NACo's Environment, Energy and Land Use Policy Steering Committee members will consider and vote on policy resolutions that will be used to guide NACo’s advocacy efforts before Congress and the administration during the 2022 – 2023 term.

NACo's Telecommunication & Technology Policy Steering Committee will consider and vote on policy resolutions that will be used to guide NACo’s advocacy efforts before Congress and the administration during the 2022 – 2023 term.

NACo's Finance, Pensions and Intergovernmental Affairs Policy Steering Committee will consider and vote on policy resolutions that will be used to guide NACo’s advocacy efforts before Congress and the administration during the 2022 – 2023 term.

NACo's Justice and Public Safety Policy Steering Committee will consider and vote on policy resolutions that will be used to guide NACo’s advocacy efforts before Congress and the administration during the 2022 – 2023 term.

Join the Public Lands Policy Steering Committee for discussions on proposed policy resolutions and platform changes that will guide NACo's advocacy efforts before Congress and the administration during the 2022-2023 term.

NACo's Community, Economic and Workforce Development Policy Steering Committee will consider and vote on policy resolutions that will be used to guide NACo’s advocacy efforts before Congress and the administration during the 2022 – 2023 term.

Network, learn and discover new solutions for your county with over 100 different private, non-profit and government partners in NACo's Exhibition Hall.

County Talks - delivered in the Exhibit Hall - will bring attendees short, engaging presentations on some of the latest innovations, challenges and opportunities facing county governments.

NACo's Next Generation Network is a grassroots forum for young county officials to network, engage with NACo and develop a new generation of association leaders.

The GIS Subcommittee will discuss emerging GIS use cases including FirstNet, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and mission critical partner updates on GIS gap analysis and drone policy changes.

Conference attendees are welcome to attend this meeting of NACo's Programs and Services Standing Committee, which advises the association's officers and Board of Directors regarding the development and evaluation of programs and services for NACo members. This meeting will feature lessons learned on pandemic preparedness to inform NACo programming and a preview of NACo programs areas in development. Committee members will provide feedback to NACo to help maximize the impact of these initiatives and help shape NACo’s current and future programming.

This meeting of county human services directors and staff is open to all NACo attendees.

Network, learn and discover new solutions for your county with over 100 different private, non-profit and government partners in NACo's Exhibition Hall.

County Talks - delivered in the Exhibit Hall - will bring attendees short, engaging presentations on some of the latest innovations, challenges and opportunities facing county governments.

The IT Standing Committee will discuss updates concerning NACo technology programs, including the Security ScoreCard pilot results, the new Cyber and GIS Technology Guides for County Leaders and hear from national partners including the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI and the National Guard.

NACo's Large Urban County Caucus meeting will feature conversations with national leaders on topics of importance to urban county leaders, including economic trends, elections, mental and behavioral health and a spotlight on the Urban Wealth Fund Initiative.

The IT Advisory Council focuses on providing direct guidance into the idea generation and evaluation of NACo technology strategy, priorities, programming and services. Membership includes predominantly county IT leaders (CIOs, CISOs, IT Directors) and several other county representatives.

The Veterans and Military Services Committee will discuss intergovernmental efforts to best serve our nation's veterans. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will discuss their mobile veterans center program, which brings outreach and readjustment counseling to hard-to-reach communities. Committee members will also learn about an innovative regional veterans services model and engage with active duty service members from Fort Carson on the topic of military transition.

The Arts and Culture Commission will hear from expert speakers and commission members on leveraging the creative arts as an economic driver at the county level. This meeting is hosted by the NACo Arts and Culture Commission and is open to all.

Cultivating an engaged and thriving workforce is critical to ensuring your county serves the public to the best of your ability. Join this session to learn from industry experts on best practices for attracting quality talent, including leveraging retention benefits, to keep your county running seamlessly and in continuous pursuit of public service.

As counties navigate the local economic recovery process following the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, many leaders are looking to improve long-term economic outcomes for residents and families. Learn how counties can influence upward economic mobility in seven key policy areas: housing, education and workforce development, health, community and neighborhood development, justice and public safety, technology and information access and financial security. This session will also present data metrics to measure and track policy impacts on resident prosperity. This workshop is hosted by NACo’s Economic Mobility Leadership Network.

The emergence and availability of new technologies is changing the way county government performs many core functions. Hear about programs and partnerships developed by NACo’s Financial Services Corporation (FSC) that provide value added services in the realm of financial technology solutions, or fintech. You will learn from the challenges faced by your county peers and how they have leveraged these innovative programs to maximize value on taxpayer revenues and drive modern, transparent budgeting processes.

County parks saw a renewed interest during and after the height of the pandemic, which brought renewed interest in the design and programmatic offerings for outdoor space. Professionals in all aspects will discuss what they've seen locally and industry-wide.

The Resorts, Tourism and Gateway Counties Working Group will hear from a panel of county officials and others about what selected counties are doing to ensure sustainable tourism and responsible recreation in their communities. 

Could your county improve in the areas of collections, transparent budgeting, or cash flow? Come hear about programs and partnerships developed by NACo’s Financial Services Corporation (FSC) that provide value-added services for financial technology solutions. Understand the challenges faced by your county peers and methods to effectively address them under NACo FSC’s solution portfolio.

County governments play an integral role in the everyday lives of residents, yet counties are arguably the least understood level of government in the U.S. This dearth of knowledge is due in part to wide variations in county governance across state lines, which can also make it difficult for counties to build partnerships with each other. Learn how to navigate these differences and build stronger relationships with counties in other states, as well as how NACo’s new state-level county governance profiles can aid your advocacy, communication and educational efforts.

Join NACo's Government Affairs staff for an update on the most pressing county issues in front of the 118th Congress and administration for the 2022-2023 term.

All rural communities have assets that can lead to shared economic prosperity for their residents if appropriately leveraged. Participants in this session will learn about a new framework and tool for identifying assets and fostering economic prosperity in rural America. Rural counties from across the nation will also spotlight their experiences in leveraging assets for economic development.

Network, learn and discover new solutions for your county with over 100 different private, non-profit and government partners in NACo's Exhibition Hall.

For county leaders in the process of rebuilding and retraining local workforces impacted by COVID-19, the American Rescue Plan’s Recovery Fund provides a key funding source. Other federal programs and provisions in ARPA, however, can be combined with the Recovery Fund to increase the impact of these investments. Learn about these various funding streams and how fellow county leaders are braiding them together to invest in connecting youth to jobs, retraining older workers, partnering with colleges, providing wraparound services through nonprofits and other key aspects of workforce development.

Counties are leveraging partnerships across jurisdictional lines and levels of government to maximize the impact of ARPA resources. This session will provide a framework for fostering effective intergovernmental partnerships with key examples of those partnerships at work.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number will transition to 988 on July 16th, 2022. This hotline is an integral element of crisis services and the behavioral health continuum of care, offering a critical entry point to local, community-based services to support recovery. Through investing in behavioral health services, counties can better serve residents, reduce reliance on the criminal legal system and direct valuable resources toward improving stability and health. In this session, attendees will hear from peers on lessons learned from implementing 988 and integrating this hotline into local behavioral health continuums of care.

When disaster strikes, proactive leadership is crucial. Join this session to learn about best practices in crisis communication, coordination and control.

The Immigration Reform Task Force will meet to discuss the latest developments on immigration reform and hear from federal guest speakers and experts on federal immigration policy.

Learn how the Adams County Public Works Department’s innovative Gravel Road Resurfacing Program used employee insight to create an internationally recognized new standard of paving that is both more durable and driver-friendly than traditional gravel roads.

Adams County’s Riverdale Regional Park combines indoor and outdoor space, recreation, nature, history and community in a unique park featuring Riverdale Golf Course and a network of park space and canals. Located within the park is Riverdale Animal Shelter, a county-run state-of-the-art facility for dogs, cats, small mammals and exotic animals. A new Veterans Memorial will open in Riverdale Park in 2022 with a life-size replica of the USS Colorado BB-45 battleship.

As devasting wildfires continue to impact communities across the nation, counties are uniquely positioned to take proactive steps in land-use planning and community engagement to mitigate wildfire damage and destruction. This educational deep dive will convene expert practitioners in wildfire planning and county leaders to share promising approaches and tools to help counties plan for and build more fire-adapted and fire-resilient landscapes and communities.

Counties play a critical role in building healthy and vibrant communities. The uneven impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across different communities crystallized the disparities that can exist within a county. County leaders are well-positioned to resolve these disparities through the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. By embracing these principles, county leaders create the conditions that allow all residents to reach their fullest potential. In this session county leaders will discuss how counties of all sizes can advance equity as employers, policymakers, investors and partners.

As housing and rental prices continue to increase, significantly outpacing wage growth, solutions to create affordable housing within communities are increasingly important. Hear from scholars on specific public policy solutions based on local conditions that counties can implement to foster affordable housing and housing access.

Counties are implementing robust strategies and programs to address opioid and other substance use disorders in communities and local criminal justice systems using federal and state resources and opioid settlements. In this session, attendees will learn evidence-based strategies to prevent and treat opioid use disorders and hear about a new NACo resource to support these efforts.

Meeting of the The National Association of County Health Facilities (NACHFa), which advocates for the improvement of county nursing homes and long-term care policy and practices across the U.S.

National Association of County Civil Attorneys (NACCA) business meeting and discussion of legal issues impacting all of us.

Join the National Association of County Information Officers as they give awards to the best communicators and campaigns in the country, followed by a business meeting to discuss membership and continuing education.

Members of the Arts and Culture Commission will gather for networking and an informal discussion on leveraging the creative arts as a driver in local communities. This reception is invite-only.

Join the Resilient Counties Advisory Board for this interactive learning experience. Attendees will participate in facilitated, small-group exercises and scenario planning activities to discuss roles and responsibilities during disasters; disaster communication practices; and DEI and ‘whole community’ considerations in emergency management and resilience planning.

Counties are sharing information across systems to identify and support community members with complex behavioral health conditions who frequently cycle through jails, emergency rooms, homeless shelters and other crisis services. In this session, attendees will learn how entities can share behavioral health and justice data to improve cross-system care coordination and individual outcomes.

County administrators play a major role in overseeing daily operations. This session will highlight who county administrators are, what they do and how this position can increase administrative efficiency. Session participants will hear from county leaders who have successfully integrated the administrator role and learn more about how it has positively impacted their ability to serve residents and enhance operations.