Equitable Governance: 2022 NACo DEI County Convening, Strategies for Governing with Equity
The National Association of Counties hosted a full-day diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) county convening before NACo’s 2022 Annual Conference to discuss the importance of equity in governance and how to strategically align efforts at the county level. The convening brought together over 50 participants from over 20 counties who sent a team comprised of a DEI practitioner, county administrator and elected official. Throughout the convening, attendees discussed the unique challenges and opportunities they see in their distinct roles and explored how to advance the principles of DEI by considering community data differently. Equitable Governance: 2022 NACo DEI County Convening, Key County Roles, Opportunities and Strategies for Governing with Equity lays out key takeaways from the convening.
County News
County News Spotlight: DEI Strategies
Counties meet an unprecedented moment in human services
County human services directors are racing to lower SNAP Payment Error Rates, implementing significant eligibility changes and preparing for reduced federal support while building entirely new systems and processes to implement Medicaid work requirements.
Counties reassess license plate surveillance amid privacy concerns
Counties across the country are grappling with how to address mass public backlash against local governments’ use of Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers.
Supreme Court hears county climate case
Boulder County, Colo.'s brief to the Supreme Court contends that ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy “intentionally misled the public” about the impacts of climate change and should pay for damage they say is caused by fossil fuels’ contribution to it.
Orange County, N.C. youth justice efforts eye productive outcomes
Rather than moving them deeper into the juvenile justice system, the Youth Deflection Program “deflects” first-time offenders and youth who commit low-level, nonviolent misdemeanors toward appropriate, community-based services.
U.S. Department of Agriculture announces reorganization
On July 24, 2026, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a major reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will relocate thousands of federal employees, restructure regional offices and consolidate administrative services and operations. The changes are expected to reduce USDA’s footprint in Washington, D.C. and shift more personnel to regional hubs across the country.
Are we building tomorrow’s infrastructure or yesterday’s data centers?
Counties can still welcome data center development, but they need to understand what the landscape is becoming. The machinery, the efficiency, the location, the cooling technology, the entire computing model will all be different.