County Leadership Curriculum

Wednesday, November 5, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET

A recent survey by the Nationwide Retirement Institute® revealed that roughly ¾ of Americans fear they’ll run out of money before they run out of time. (1) 

Join Nationwide and NACo EDGE for a presentation that discusses how lifetime income solutions can build participant confidence. Many misconceptions surround incorporating lifetime income into retirement planning. This presentation offers positive reality checks about solutions that can help participants achieve a more secure retirement. 

(1) “Century Club Insights Report,” prepared by Edelman for Nationwide, March 2025. Guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Provisions of these options may vary based on plan selection and/or by state regulation. These investment options may not be available in all states. This material is not a recommendation to buy or sell a financial product or to adopt an investment strategy. Investors should discuss NRM-23166AO.1 (06/25)

Participants will gain practical strategies and real-world examples of how counties are partnering with Stage CARES to enhance transparency, strengthen coordination, and sustain impact and benefits in their communities’ opioid response.

Join a panel of Authorium’s alums of public service – having served in county, state, and federal offices – as they share their experience providing oversight and direction to departments awarding, managing, and leveraging grants.

Join us for a fireside chat with Orleans County, NY, as they share how their team successfully transitioned from a traditional capital expense (CapEx) model to an operational expense (OpEx) model for network services.

When faced with rising maintenance costs and an expiring carrier contract, the county seized the opportunity to modernize its network and lock in predictable monthly costs. By bundling connectivity services with unified communications, they achieved immediate savings of over $124,000, eliminated recurring charges such as long-distance fees and third-party integration costs, and gained access to operational upgrades like call analytics and auto-attendants.

This shift not only strengthened financial planning through fixed monthly expenses but also freed up IT staff to focus on strategic initiatives.

Key takeaway: Rethinking your budget model can be just as impactful as upgrading your technology — delivering fiscal stability and enhanced services for your community.

This session explores the intersection where securing election operations meets digital realities. In an interconnected world, where officials face increased cyber threats and scrutiny, governance forms the backbone of order. This training unravels the fundamentals of governance to strengthen democracy in the digital age, with a particular focus on supply chain and data management.

The NACo AI Regional Forum series is convening local government elected officials, appointed officers, department heads, and staff across different geographical regions to provide an educational, hands-on symposium on the landscape of artificial intelligence.